ANDRE NAVARRA

The voice of the cello

OUR DISCOVERIES

Tape No. 1

Tape No. 1

ANDRE NAVARRA

THE CELLO

The Lost Recordings pays tribute to the great cellist André Navarra, on the 30th anniversary of his death. Accompanied by his son, our teams have travelled throughout Europe in search of the original original tapes - many of which were still unpublished or abandoned - in order to draw up the artistic testament of one of the cellists and founders of the great French cello tradition. Each of the tapes has been carefully restored using the Phoenix Mastering process that we have been developing over several years, one of the one of the stages of which is based on Devialet technologies. The result is a unique 6-disc boxed set, featuring The result is a unique 6-disc boxed set of all the great cello concertos in unprecedented sound quality.

ANDRE NAVARRA

THE CELLO

ANDRE NAVARRA

THE CELLO

Travel memories...

"It was in Bloch's Kol Nidrei that I discovered the illustrious cellist André Navarra and I remember being struck by the thickness and the unique texture of his tone. Years later, it was during a concert that I met Michel - his son. I have just developed a unique restoration technique for analog tapes thanks to the invaluable help of Quentin Sannié - President and Co-founder of Devialet. Michel Navarra entrusts me with a copy of a previously unpublished work: the Concerto by Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach under the baton of Tibor Varga. A few days later, he came to listen to the result. "It's absolutely stunning" he said, visibly very moved. We then decided to devote ourselves to a major retrospective of all the concertos with the greatest conductors recorded by his father. Our research takes us to London, Amsterdam, Paris and Prague where we forge links with archives and other music enthusiasts. The result is this box set which receives all the praise from the press and music lovers around the world and... this rather unique music label!

Frédéric D'ORIA-NICOLAS
Musical treasure seeker

THE FORMATS OF THIS DISCOVERY


Telerama

"ffff award. André Navarra's lyricism reaches new heights and the Phoenix Mastering process makes miracles and renders the art of the French cellist in all its magnificence. Remarkable in every way."

The birth of a talent like no other

André Navarra was born in Biarritz on October 13, 1911. Very early on, he had a special relationship with music, as he himself came from a family of musicians. At the age of seven, he began to study singing and the cello. At the age of nine, he was admitted as a student at the Toulouse Conservatory, from which he graduated with first prize in 1924. He then studied for two more years at the Paris Conservatory, where he won the first prize at only fifteen years old.

 

André Navarra and his violin

An early hatch

IIn 1929, André Navarra joined the Kretly String Quartet, with which he performed for the next seven years. He made his solo debut with the Orchestre Colonne in Paris in 1931, where he performed Lalo's Concerto. In 1933, he became principal cellist of the Orchestre du Grand Opéra. He performed as a soloist with various European orchestras. After the war, he continued to give concerts and toured the world, playing with the great conductors of the time. His recording of the Edward Elgar concerto with John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra is considered a classic. 

 

André Navarra with his violin

 

André Navarra was a renowned professor of cello at the Paris Conservatory and the Northwest German Academy of Music. He also taught in Siena, London and Vienna. Many of his students became famous cellists, such as Heinrich Schiff, Johannes Goritsky and Susan Sheppard. A series of recordings for the French label Calliope has been released and includes some great playing of Bach, Camille Saint-Saëns and Schubert suites. He also produced LPs for the Capitol label in the 1950s. The French label Dante released four very good records from the 1940s.

“Rigor in art and freedom rigor. This is the golden rule of the performer”

OUR HAPPY MUSIC LOVERS