Peter Szabo - Ignace Pleyel: The Cello Concertos (Complete) (2002)

The cello concertos of Ignace Pleyel may be generally unfamiliar to many listeners outside of a cello teaching studio. These five works have been greatly overshadowed by the cello concertos of Haydn and even Boccherini. This is truly a shame; while Pleyel's works may not have the virtuosic component of the Haydn concertos (particularly the D major), they are nonetheless well written for the instrument, graceful, and charming works.
The recording heard here by Erdody Chamber Ensemble with conductor and solo cellist Peter Szabo is generally acceptable, but is not as clean and precise as it could be. The orchestra's intonation is frequently imprecise, which is inexcusable in thin-textured, early classical works such as these. The wind section is most often the culprit of these problems, but the pitch of the upper strings also falls flat in the higher registers. This does not provide the most stable or pleasing background for the soloist. On the whole, Szabo's playing is graceful, clean, and usually nicely in tune. However, there are several startling and distracting moments when his fingers hit the fingerboard with such force as to create loud "thumps" in the middle of a line.