European American Music Distributors Company is a member of the Schott Music Group

Francisco Coll Conducts his Cello Concerto in Paris and Switzerland with Sol Gabetta

Jan. 24, 2023

On November 27, Francisco Coll conducted the premiere of his Cello Concertofor Sol Gabetta, with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The commission for the Cello Concerto was led by Kammerorchester Basel with the support of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, with co-commissioners Radio France and BBC Radio 3. The concert was broadcast on Radio France on January 13, and is available to stream for one month. 

On January 18, Coll conducted Gabetta and the Kammerorchester Basel in the Swiss premiere of the Cello Concerto in Zug. 

Vincent Guillemin of ResMusica notes: "The 20-minute [concerto] is cast in four unbroken movements. The jerky, syncopated rhythms of the first movement are suggestive of Argentinian Tango. After the brilliant opening, the second movement turns to transparent and crystalline sonorities, before a more agitated waltz sequence breaks through. The third movement, Misterioso, sees an impassioned song-like soliloquy from the cello against a numinous backdrop of strings, before a cadenza. The Festoso finale bursts forth with a gesture that turns the work’s opening on its head.

Across four connected movements, the concerto allowed Coll (…conducting with gravity and maturity…) to highlight the virtuosity of Gabetta. The syncopated rhythms of the Giocoso contrast with the two slow middle movements (out of which a long cadenza emerges). With repeated descending lines, the Festoso finale offers a beautiful concluding energy… one wanted to hear Coll conduct a whole programme."

The Cello Concerto is Coll’s latest collaboration with Sol Gabetta. In 2018, Gabetta premiered his double concerto Les Plaisirs Illuminés with Patricia Kopatchinskaja; their recording of the work, conducted by Coll, won the concerto prize at the 2022 BBC Music Magazine Awards. The duo also gave the premiere performance of Coll’s violin and cello duo Rizoma in 2018, subsequently recording and touring the piece.


Trailer - Sol Gabetta and Patricia Kopatchinskaja perform Francisco Coll's Les Plaisirs Illuminés
with Camerata Bern, conducted by the composer

Coll was active as a conductor of his music througout 2022. In April, he joined the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg at the ICMA awards for a performance of Aqua Cinerea; in May he conducted the world premiere of Lilith with the Orquestra de València. In August, Coll led the Finnish premiere of Hímnica with the Fiskars Festival Orchestra, and a multi-season partnership with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias will see Coll return to the podium over the coming years in Asturias.


The Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, led by Gustavo Gimeno, performs Coll's Aqua Cinerea

To learn more about Francisco Coll, visit: fabermusic.com.

Francisco Coll
Cello Concerto (2021-22)
for cello and orchestra
1.pic.1.eh.1.bcl.1-2.1.1.0-2perc: crot/glsp/xyl/mar/slide whistle/sleigh bells/2 hi-hat/susp.cym/mambo bell/2 tambourine/wd.bl/3tpl.bl/cajon/2 kick drums/small BD-pno-str 
20'

News