For those unaware, on January 20th, 2023, Na�ve Classiques will release Legacy, the latest album from Christian-Pierre La Marca. The �unfailingly lyrical, stylish� (Gramophone) cellist performs with French period orchestra Le Concert de la Loge and its violinist director Julien Chauvin to present a program devised to provide the listener with a new perspective on the cello concertos of Joseph Haydn, surrounded by works of Nicola Porpora, Christoph Willibald Gluck, and W.A. Mozart.

The album, entitled Legacy, also includes performances by Christian-Pierre�s violist brother Adrien La Marca and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky.

�This album tells a true story about my instrument during the classical period,� says Christian-Pierre La Marca. �There is a connection, a legacy from one composer to another. We wanted to show the connecting links, the filiations that run through the cello repertory during the era of Viennese Classicism, what was transmitted from one composer to another for this specific instrument, and finally the development of purely �cellistic� style.�

�Porpora was the precursor. An esteemed pedagogue, he was Haydn�s mentor and had a great influence on him, just as Haydn in turn influenced Mozart�s style. Gluck was one of the first to introduce a certain Viennese Classicism into French music.�

1. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Cello Concerto No.1 In C Major
Cadenza: Christian-Pierre La Marca

2. Nicola Porpora (1686-1758)
Largo, from Cello Concerto in G Major

3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-91)
Sinfonia Concertante in A Major for violin, viola and cello
Robert Levin completion/reconstruction | with Julien Chauvin, violin & Adrien La Marca, viola

4. Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-87)
Danse des ombres heureuses, from Orph�e et Eurydice
Christian-Pierre La Marca transcription

5. Nicola Porpora
�Giusto amor tu che m�accendi� from Gli orti esperidi
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor

6. Joseph Haydn
Cello Concerto No.2 In D Major
Cadenza: Maurice Gendron

This magnificently cultured, inspired and profound new recording opens on Joseph Haydn�s vibrantly triumphant Cello Concerto No.1 In C Major and follows that up seamlessly with the more cultured fare of Nicola Porpora�s Largo, from Cello Concerto in G Major.

Along next is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart�s simply magnificent, veritably euphoric Sinfonia Concertante in A Major for violin, viola and cello and that is in turn backed by the more sombre affair within Christoph Willibald Gluck�s Danse des ombres heureuses, from Orph�e et Eurydice.

This sumptuously-crafted new recording then rounds out on the aching yearn found within Nicola Porpora�s �Giusto amor tu che m�accendi� from Gli orti esperidi, coming to a close on a rather sweepingly atmospheric rendition of Joseph Haydn�s Cello Concerto No.2 In D Major.

La Marca: �Porpora had a very thorough knowledge of the cello. He was also the teacher of the great castrati of the time, including Farinelli � hence the presence in this program of the aria �Giusto Amor, tu che m�accendi� from the opera Gli orti esperidi, which combines obbligato cello and voice (performed here by Philippe Jaroussky). Porpora did a great deal to develop the Italian musical tradition in Vienna, and Haydn synthesized that heritage and developed it in terms of his personal style.�

�Haydn�s vision of the cello radiates an aura of brilliance and perfection: he was one of the first to push the instrument to so demanding a level. We establish the link with Mozart through the fragment of a sinfonia concertante � his only concertante work that calls for the cello.�

La Marca adds, �I wanted this program to introduce new ways of listening to Haydn�s concertos. The title of the album Legacy emphasizes more of the aspect of transmission than that of inheritance � the goodwill one generation passes on to the next, the encounters between musicians who hand down a tradition, the development of styles of writing for the instrument.�

�Haydn�s concertos are often recorded on their own,� adds Julien Chauvin. �The fact that they are �enveloped� in other pieces gives them an additional dimension.�

Musicians:
Christian-Pierre La Marca CELLO
Le Concert de la Loge
Julien Chauvin VIOLIN AND DIRECTOR
with Adrien La Marca VIOLA | Philippe Jaroussky COUNTERTENOR

Official Purchase Link

Official Website

Christian-Pierre La Marca @ Facebook

Christian-Pierre La Marca @ Twitter