A benchmark account of an underrated British concerto
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS
The Strad Issue: October 2025
Description: A benchmark account of an underrated British concerto
Musicians: Guy Johnston (cello) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Manze
Works: Bliss: Cello Concerto
Catalogue number: ONYX ONYXX4269
Why isn’t this concerto better known? There are several recordings, but this one with Guy Johnston and Andrew Manze excitingly pulsates with energy and character. It was one of the last orchestral works Bliss wrote, at the behest of Rostropovich, and offers winning melodic invention and sumptuous orchestration that owes much to Walton.
Guy Johnston provides searingly intense as well as sensitive and expressive lyrical playing in the first movement, and Manze’s incisive and carefully choreographed pacing between fervour and reflective material is instantly compelling.
Winning cello solos, both curving and tender, coax the listener with gentle pastoral hues in the Larghetto, the orchestra superb in their partnering role, echoes of the earlier movement evident across the invention. The shaping and lyrical control is impressive in the cello as the weaving lines need adroit shading.
A timpani solo breaks the sense of reverie, heralding a finale with a lightly bouncing narrative. Chirpy interjections from the orchestra respond to the feisty cello passages, whose intricacy Johnston delivers with élan.
Bliss himself said there are no problems for the listener, only the soloist. That certainly reflects both the direct and melodic nature of the material, and the fiendishly taxing solo part, which is given a marvellous rendition from Johnston. Bravo!
Joanne Talbot
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