Esa-Pekka Salonen Revisits his Cello Concerto

Some readers may recall that, in March of 2019, Sony Classical released the world premiere recording of Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting his own cello concerto with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and soloist Yo-Yo Ma. This coming Friday Parlophone Records will release a second album of this concerto. Salonen will again conduct, but this time his soloist will be Rainer Eudeikis, Principal Cello with the San Francisco Symphony (SFS). The album is based on “live” recordings made in Davies Symphony Hall in October of 2024.

I do my best to focus on the music and avoid any attention to “balance sheets,” whether they involve ensembles, conductors, or soloists. Instead, I am more interested in the fact that a concerto that does not leave one exiting while whistling familiar passages should now have two releases, each featuring a different soloist. Mind you, I am sure there are collectors out there that have made it a point to account for “all things Yo-Yo Ma.” I am not one of them; but I certainly sympathize, given the breadth of his undertakings!

Eudeikis is another matter. I only came to know his name after he joined SFS in 2022, following a previous appointment as Principal Cellist of the Atlanta Symphony. Since my seats in Davies are almost always left of center, I almost consistently have a good view of him at work; and his capacity for focus could not be better. Sadly, I have seen him only once in an SFS Chamber Music recital, which took place in May of 2023. On that occasion he performed the first (Opus 57, Number 1) string quartet in C minor by Johannes Brahms. As I have previously observed, this piece “was never in Brahms’ comfort zone;” but there was no questioning Eudeikis’ attention and engagement with his colleagues.

Cover of the album being discussed (from the Warner Classics Web page)

Nevertheless, the question remains: Do we really need two different recordings of Salonen’s concerto? While I cannot give a good answer, I can suggest that Sony probably assumed that interest in the concerto would have more to do with Ma than with Salonen. On the other hand, as can be seen above, Salonen’s name appears twice on the album cover, first as composer and then as SFS Music Director! For my own part, I shall probably give the two recordings “equal time;” but I am definitely interested in listening to Eudeikis in future chamber music encounters!