Giovincello Edgar Moreau

• Joseph Haydn (1732-1809): Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb. 1
• 1 Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb. 1: I. Moderato 09:08
• 2 Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb. 1: II. Adagio 08:04
• 3 Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob. VIIb. 1: III. Allegro Molto 05:57
• Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741): Cello Concerto in A Minor, RV 419
• 4 Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in A Minor, RV 419: I. Allegro 03:13
• 5 Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in A Minor, RV 419: II. Andante 03:22
• 6 Vivaldi: Cello Concerto in A Minor, RV 419: III. Allegro 01:30
• Giovanni Platti (1697-1763): Cello Concerto in D Major
• 7 Platti: Cello Concerto in D Major: I. Allegro 03:31
• 8 Platti: Cello Concerto in D Major: II. Adagio 03:35
• 9 Platti: Cello Concerto in D Major: III. Allegro 04:49
• Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805): Cello Concerto in D Major, G. 479
• 10 Boccherini: Cello Concerto in D Major, G. 479: I. Allegro 06:36
• 11 Boccherini: Cello Concerto in D Major, G. 479: II. Adagio 04:38
• 12 Boccherini: Cello Concerto in D Major, G. 479: III. Allegro 04:19
• Carlo Graziani (?-1787): Cello Concerto in C Major
• 13 Graziani: Cello Concerto in C Major: I. Allegro moderato 10:02
• 14 Graziani: Cello Concerto in C Major: II. Larghetto grazioso con portamento 04:45
• 15 Graziani: Cello Concerto in C Major: III. Rondeau. Allegretto 06:27
• Total Runtime 01:19:56

Info for Giovincello

Though the title Giovincello seems to make a specific musical reference, it is simply an affectionate Italian term meaning 'young man'. Only 20 years old when he recorded this album, Edgar Moreau 'has already found his place in the great tradition of French cello-playing' (Diapason). Here he brings his youthful energy and virtuosic thrills to 18th-century cello concertos by Haydn, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Platti, and the world-premiere recording of a Baroque concerto by Carlo Graziani.

The centrepiece of Giovincello is Haydn's Cello Concerto No 1 in C major, which is joined by Vivaldi's Concerto in A minor RV 419 and three concertos by somewhat lesser-known Italian composers of the 18th century who all made careers outside their native country: Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) - an important figure in the history of chamber music - who spent much of his life in Spain; Giovanni Platti (1697-1763), who lived for more than 40 years in Würzburg in Bavaria, and Carlo Graziani (.-1787), a somewhat shadowy figure who became cello teacher to Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia and whose Cello Concerto in C Major is given its world-premiere recording here.

Edgar Moreau, cello
Il Pomo d'Oro
Riccardo Minasi, conductor

Edgar Moreau The French cellist Edgar Moreau, who turned 21 in 2015, can already look back on a number of exceptional achievements, among them becoming the winner – at the age of just 17 – of the Second Prize in Russia’s formidable Tchaikovsky Competition, winning the Young Soloist Prize in the 2009 Rostropovich Cello Competition in Paris, and performing with such distinguished musicians as Valery Gergiev, Gidon Kremer, András Schiff, Yuri Bashmet, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gustavo Dudamel, Renaud Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Frank Braley, Khatia Buniatishvili, Gérard Caussé and the Talich Quartet. In 2013 his huge potential was highlighted by France’s top music awards, Les Victoires de la Musique, which named him the year’s ‘Révélation’ among young classical instrumentalists.

He released his debut album in March 2014 on Erato with pianist Pierre-Yves Hodique: Play is a collection of short pieces and brilliant encores from Popper, Paganini, Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Dvořák, Massenet, Schubert, Poulenc and Tchaikovsky among others. His follow-up album, Giovincello, presents 18th-century cello concertos recorded with the Italian Baroque ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro.

A Parisian by birth, Edgar Moreau first realised he wanted to play the cello when he was just four years old – the instrument caught his imagination when he saw a girl having a cello lesson in an antique shop he was visiting with his father. He began lessons soon afterwards, and was giving concerts with major orchestras by the time he was 11 years old. Since the age of 13 he has been a student at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He has participated in masterclasses given by such cellists as Lynn Harrell, Anner Bylsma, Miklós Perényi, Gary Hoffman and David Geringas, and since October 2013 has been attending the Kronberg Academy near Frankfurt – home to the Emanuel Feuermann Conservatory, named after the legendary Ukrainian-born cellist.

When the editor of the international music website Bachtrack saw Edgar Moreau perform in Gstaad in early 2013, he had the following to say: “One always comes to a young musician’s concert with a hope that this will be that special day when you hear a performer who you are absolutely sure will be a star of the future. That hope only comes to fruition on a small number of occasions: this concert was one of them. I'm willing to take bets that nineteen year-old Parisian cellist Edgar Moreau is going to have a glittering career ... His playing is muscular and he throws himself into the music ... and Moreau has bags of stage presence, with a flexible face which can turn from smile to grimace and back in an instant but always shows deep involvement with the music ... Even at such a young age, Moreau can completely win over an audience with his big sound and no-holds-barred style. I think he's going to be a winner.”