Gramophone Magazine
March 2026
Editor’s Choice

Raphaël Jouan (cello)
Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est / David Reiland

Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Dvořák: Rondo in G minor for cello & orchestra, Op. 94, B. 181
Dvořák: From the Bohemian Forest, Op. 68: No. 5, Waldesruhe (Version for Cello and Orchestra)

It was on American soil that Antonín Dvořák began the composition of his Cello Concerto, influenced by his keen interest in Amerindian and Afro-American cultures. For his recording debut with orchestra, Raphaël Jouan—a musician who moves freely between classical, jazz, and world music—measures himself against this emblematic work. This recording is framed as a "collective adventure," featuring musicians close to Jouan’s heart. The program is rounded out by the composer's smaller-scale masterpieces for cello and orchestra: the spirited Rondo in G minor and the evocative Waldesruhe (Silent Woods).

"I'm sure it isn't my imagination that the defining quality of this performance of the great Dvořák Cello Concerto is one of collective warmth and familiarity. It feels personal."
— Gramophone Magazine, March 2026