Hellen Weiß, Gabriel Schwabe – Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Hellen Weiß, Gabriel Schwabe – Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:05:12 minutes | 1,16 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Naxos

Zoltán Kodály’s later years were dominated by a series of choral works but his early reputation centred upon chamber music, notably two string quartets, a Cello Sonata (8.553160) and the two masterpieces heard on this recording. The Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 combines Classical form with folk influence, while the Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8, with its expanded harmonies and tone colours, is one of the greatest solo cello works since Bach’s Cello Suites. György Ligeti continued the Hungarian lineage with his Sonata for Solo Cello, a succinct but pivotal work in his compositional development. Gabriel Schwabe has established himself among the leading cellists of his generation. He is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann and the Concours Rostropovich in Paris. In 2009, he won the prestigious Pierre Fournier Award in London. He is a regular guest at festivals such as the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, the Kronberg Academy Festival and the Amsterdam Biennale, and has performed with artists including Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Kirill Gerstein and Jonathan Gilad.

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Gabriel Schwabe, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra & Christopher Ward – Elgar & Bridge: Cello Concertos (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Gabriel Schwabe, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra & Christopher Ward – Elgar & Bridge: Cello Concertos (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 56:09 minutes | 1,16 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Naxos Records

These two masterpieces are shadowed by the events of the First World War. Elgar’s Cello Concerto, an intensely poignant, reflective and individual musical statement, has enjoyed unflagging popularity among musicians and listeners for over 100 years. By contrast, Frank Bridge’s Oration (Concerto elegiaco) remained unperformed for decades after its early hearings. Yet it shares spiritual affinities with Elgar’s work and serves as a funeral address of huge solemnity and narrative power in its outcry against the futility of war.

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Hellen Weiß, Gabriel Schwabe – Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Hellen Weiß, Gabriel Schwabe - Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Hellen Weiß, Gabriel Schwabe – Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:05:12 minutes | 1,17 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Naxos

Zoltán Kodály’s later years were dominated by a series of choral works but his early reputation centred upon chamber music, notably two string quartets, a Cello Sonata (8.553160) and the two masterpieces heard on this recording. The Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 combines Classical form with folk influence, while the Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8, with its expanded harmonies and tone colours, is one of the greatest solo cello works since Bach’s Cello Suites. György Ligeti continued the Hungarian lineage with his Sonata for Solo Cello, a succinct but pivotal work in his compositional development. Gabriel Schwabe has established himself among the leading cellists of his generation. He is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann and the Concours Rostropovich in Paris. In 2009, he won the prestigious Pierre Fournier Award in London. He is a regular guest at festivals such as the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, the Kronberg Academy Festival and the Amsterdam Biennale, and has performed with artists including Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Kirill Gerstein and Jonathan Gilad.
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Gabriel Schwabe – Prokofiev, Shostakovich & Kissin: Works for Cello & Piano (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Gabriel Schwabe – Prokofiev, Shostakovich & Kissin: Works for Cello & Piano (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:18:54 minutes | 1,31 GB | Genre: Chamber Music, Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Naxos

The 20th century saw an abundance of notable Russian cellists inspiring an extensive repertoire by Soviet composers. In the Cello Sonatas by Shostakovich and Prokofiev, both composers explore the rich and emotive timbre of the instrument with expressive subtleties and bittersweet emotions, alongside their typical touches of wit and irony. Internationally acclaimed pianist Evgeny Kissin has recently returned to composing, and his Cello Sonata is akin to a ballad in its restraint and introspection.

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