<\/p>
Cello Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Variations Concertantes; Assai Tranquillo in B minor; Lied ohne Worte; plus works by J\u00f6rg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Francisco Coll, Wolfgang Rihm<\/p>
Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano)<\/p>
Sony Classical 19439934002 83:50 mins<\/em> (2CD)<\/em><\/p> Mendelssohn\u2019s Variations Concertantes packs a lot of variety into its nine minutes, with its simple theme expanding into elegant whimsy at one extreme, and minor-key turbulence at the other. The players here capture its changing moods, and the plangent song-like quality of the Assai Tranquillo<\/em>, with a range of tone and expression on the period instruments which they use for all the composer\u2019s works: Chamayou in particular conjures real depth from his 1859 Bl\u00fcthner.<\/p> The First Sonata is a happy work, with a typically soaring Mendelssohnian theme in the first movement, conveyed with a sure sense of pacing and balance. Although in the minor, the Andante<\/em> comes across as nostalgic rather than menacing, and there\u2019s contrast between the lyrical and the impulsive in the Allegro Assai <\/em>finale. The Second Sonata explores a wider emotional spectrum \u2013 the first movement never lets up its momentum, despite an ebb and flow in tonality and mood. Gabetta is as persuasive in long lines as in frantic tremolando<\/em>, and Chamayou\u2019s virtuoso arpeggios flow effortlessly. There\u2019s contrast between the phantasmagoric scherzando<\/em> and the free-flowing Adagio<\/em>, where the full range of Gabetta\u2019s expressive playing comes into focus, before the finale re-establishes the happy mood.<\/p> Lied ohne Worte<\/em> was Mendelssohn\u2019s last composition for cello, and inspired Gabetta to ask four contemporary composers to write their take on the genre. J\u00f6rg Widmann\u2019s romantic theme is gently subverted by rhythmic and harmonic distortions; Heinz Holliger is more overtly fractured and dissonant, especially in the explosive middle section; Francisco Coll traces a dark, lyrical dialogue; and Wolfgang Rihm floats off gently into the ether. All beautifully played, but a pity that they are banished to the second disc, where many will ignore them. <\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n By Martin Cotton Published: Thursday, 29 February 2024 at 11:13 AM Cello Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Variations Concertantes; Assai Tranquillo in B minor; Lied ohne Worte; plus works by J\u00f6rg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Francisco Coll, Wolfgang Rihm Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano) Sony Classical 19439934002 83:50 mins (2CD) Mendelssohn\u2019s Variations Concertantes packs a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":39644,"template":"","categories":[1,83,19],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc.jpg",900,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc-768x768.jpg",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc.jpg",800,800,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc.jpg",900,900,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/03\/mendelssohn-cello-sonatas-etc.jpg",900,900,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Martin Cotton Published: Thursday, 29 February 2024 at 11:13 AM Cello Sonatas Nos 1 & 2; Variations Concertantes; Assai Tranquillo in B minor; Lied ohne Worte; plus works by J\u00f6rg Widmann, Heinz Holliger, Francisco Coll, Wolfgang Rihm Sol Gabetta (cello), Bertrand Chamayou (piano) Sony Classical 19439934002 83:50 mins (2CD) Mendelssohn\u2019s Variations Concertantes packs a…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/39643"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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