Anne Gastinel, Claire Désert, Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, Louis Langrée - Robert Schumann - Cello Concerto / Works for Cello and Piano (2001)

A remarkably intimate recording of Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor, this performance by Anne Gastinel and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, directed by Louis Langrée, may be a little too forward for the average listener's comfort. Direct Stream Digital engineering places Gastinel front and center -- almost in one's living room -- and the orchestra is not far behind. Such "living presence" may be an audiophile's delight, but others may find the proximity disconcerting, especially because Gastinel's bowing seems overly resinous up close. However, this is the only complaint worth making about this disc, for Gastinel is wonderfully expressive and the orchestra is extraordinarily balanced and clear in its timbres, no mean achievement in Schumann's problematic, thick orchestration. The remaining performances are less forwardly recorded and sound pleasant and natural, with a fresh spontaneity that feels more like a recital than a studio session. Gastinel is joined by pianist Claire Désert in the Fantasiestücke, Op. 73; Stücke im Volkston (5), Op. 102; and the Adagio and Allegro in A flat major, Op. 70, and the two musicians are fully engaged and dynamic in these performances. Though DSD picks up a few extraneous noises, these are not enough to distract from the music, which is richly rewarding.