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Rachmaninov Cello Sonata in G minor op 19

Liam Abramson - Cello, Charles Wiffen - Piano

1. Lento-Allegro moderato-Moderato

The sonata for cello and piano dates from 1901 and is dedicated to the Russian cellist Brandukov. At the time of its composition, Rachmaninov held the position of professor of pianoforte at the Maryinsky Institute for Girls in Moscow. In the same year he composed his second piano concerto, also in G minor, and arguably the work with which Rachmaninov was most successful during his lifetime and which consistently appealed to audiences in Russia and elsewhere. The cello sonata shares the concerto's origins: both were composed after a three year period of tremendous self-doubt after the abject failure of his first symphony. Although this is the only work he wrote for solo cello, it demonstrates an understanding of the intensely expressive qualities of the instrument. The sonata dwells deeply in the nostalgia that was to become Rachmaninov's hallmark, most evident in the profound lento opening. The first movement is built upon long lyrical passages while a light scherzo second movement provides a respite from this pervasive melancholia which returns in the third movement. The triumphant fourth movement still has echoes of this earlier sadness in the lyric second subject. Written when the composer was only 28 years of age, the sonata has a profundity that is partly a product of late Romantic expressionism, but mostly a reflection of Rachmaninov's characteristic introspection.

Mendelssohn Cello Sonata no 1 in B flat major

Liam Abramson - Cello, Charles Wiffen - Piano

1. Allegro vivace

By the mid 1820’s, Mendelssohn's precocious ability as a composer was well established in Berlin, and perhaps stimulated by his family surroundings. During this time the Mendelssohn home in Berlin was a regular forum for musical performances, most of which featured pieces custom written by the young Felix. Performers were usually professionals who accepted Mrs Mendelssohn's invitations to lunch, and Felix's brother Paul, a cellist, and sisters Fanny and Rebecca who respectively played the piano and sang. The first of Mendelssohn's two sonatas for cello and piano was written in 1838 for the composer's brother Paul. The first movement opens with a statement of the first bars by both instruments, the first motif developed in a passage leading to the second subject and contributing largely to the central development. The G minor slow movement develops gradually from its own opening figure, in music of increasing elaboration. The last movement starts with a cello statement of the principal theme, which frames episodes of contrasting rhythm and texture. The sonata ends with a gentle coda.