CHAMAYOU BERTRAND | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

The long awaited new album by Sol Gabetta, again with excellent French pianist Bertrand Chamayou. Mendelssohn's complete works for cello and piano are combined with new pieces by renowned contemporary composers, specifically written for this album and inspired by Mendelssohn's famous Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109.

For her new album Sol Gabetta teams up once again with French pianist Betrand Chamayou. The album features the complete works for cello and piano by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847). It begins with the Variations concertantes, Op. 17 which consist of 8 variations. Mendelssohn dedicated the variations to his brother Paul. Although Paul Mendelssohn-Bartholdy later became an important banker and not a cellist, he was able to play the technically demanding work to Felix's satisfaction. The simple theme of the variation is presented alternately by piano and cello and unfolds subsequently with some dramatic baroque elements. Of course these variations leave room for excellent virtuoso playing by Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou. At the end of the 1830s Mendelssohn developed a new interest in chamber music for strings and piano: "In addition, a very important branch of piano music, trios, quartets and other things with accompaniment, the real chamber music, is now completely forgotten and the need to have something new in it is too great for me. I would like to add something to it", he wrote in 1838. The two cello sonatas No. 1, Op. 45 and No. 2, Op. 58 by Mendelssohn distinguish themselves through a complete balance between piano and cello parts that allow Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou to showcase their skills. The beautifully melancholic piece Assai tranquillo in B Minor, MWV Q 25 written by Mendelssohn for his friend, cellist and assistant Kapellmeister as well as the famous Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109 are two short pieces suitable for streaming. The album also features 5 new, short pieces which all are world premiere recordings, specially commissioned for this album. All these pieces took inspiration from Mendelssohn’s Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109 and are written by renowned composers: Heinz Holliger, Wolfgan Rihm, Francesco Coll, Jörg Widman.