Jan Vogler has a theory: Tchaikovsky wrote his Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra in direct response to St Petersburg’s magnificent 18th-century architecture, its gilded glories reflected in the playful phrasing and pretty ornaments of the soloist’s line. It’s an attractive idea and one that fits nicely with the composer’s reverence for the Classical formality of Mozart. Here, Vogler and Andres Orozco-Estrada successfully wrest Tchaikovsky away from familiar the Romantic interpretations and impose a cooler, more precise order. Also included are Sérénade Mélancolique and Souvenir d’un Lieu Cher Op 42 No 1 in Vogler’s own arrangements and a spirited Souvenir de Florence with the Moritzburg Festival Ensemble.
