Antonio Meneses celebrates the 35th anniversary of winning First Prize and the Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, as well as his 60th birthday in August 2017, with his first recordings of three cornerstones of the cello concertante repertoire.

Early, seminal recordings with Herbert von Karajan led to further, phenomenal success and recognition of Antonio’s beguiling combination of virtuoso elan and thoughtful introspection. His tenth recording for AVIE, these first concertante recordings form a vital part of his series for the label that includes several cornerstones of the cello repertoire, including Bach’s Six Cello Suites, the complete cello music by Beethoven (with pianist Menahem Pressler), the two Haydn concertos, and the Grammy-nominated pairing of concertos by Hans Gál and Edward Elgar for which he was joined by Claudio Cruz and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, as he is on this new release.

“His many facets as a musician have been emblazoned across his commanding recording of the Bach Suites and the poetic phrasing in his Haydn... he manages to maintain a thoughtful elegance and unfussy control that brings out the innate beauty of the music at the same time as displaying the multifarious elements of his own artistry.” – Gramophone

“Antonio Meneses is truly the bel canto hero of the cello world: no matter how virtuosic or gnarly the music, he sings it with a sonorous beauty of tone and uncompromised resonance only achieved by a chosen few.” – BBC Music Magazine