RICARDO CASTRO (1864-1907): Cello Concerto (Berlin Symphony Orchestra; Jorge Velazco), JOAQUÍN GUTIÉRREZ HERAS (b.1927): Fantasía Concertante for Cello and Orchestra (National Symphony Orchestra; Enrique Diemecke), SAMUEL ZYMAN (b.1956): Cello Concerto (Xalapa Symphony Orchestra; Carlos Miguel Prieto).

Description: The odd coupling is due to the fact that it's the cellist here who rescued these recordings for issue (the Castro is from 1985 and the Zyman from 1991; only the Heras is new) but we should be glad because Castro was the first Mexican symphonist (if only we could hear those two!) and his concerto, from around 1895, is everything a late Romantic concerto should be, telescoped into two movements and with a first movement first theme that immediately recalls the Saint-Saëns first cello concerto. Zyman and Heras are both tonal, the former a big, 31-minute work, the latter a ten-minute dedication to the present soloists, but the Castro is why this release is here. Carlos Prieto (cello).