Mendelssohn: Works for cello & piano

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The Watkins' extraordinary fraternal partnership resonates with Mendelssohn's own relationship to his cellist brother, Paul. Here, Huw (a composer and pianist) and elder brother (a cellist and... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2011, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 31st Oct 2011
Catalogue No: CHAN10701
Label: Chandos
Length: 62 minutes

This release includes a digital booklet

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Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 45

Work length24:05

$5.00

$6.45

$8.75

Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins

I. Allegro vivace

Track length11:43

$3.00

$3.85

$5.25

II. Andante

Track length5:45

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Allegro assai

Track length6:37

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Mendelssohn: Variations concertantes Op. 17

Work length9:31

$10.00

$13.00

$17.50

Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins

I. Thema. Andante con moto

Track length1:06

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation I

Track length0:29

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation II

Track length0:30

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation III. Più vivace

Track length0:30

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation IV. Allegro con fuoco

Track length0:37

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation V. L'istesso tempo

Track length0:46

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation VI. L'istesso tempo

Track length0:32

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation VII. Presto ed agitato

Track length1:39

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

II. Variation VIII. Tempo I

Track length0:34

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Coda

Track length2:48

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Mendelssohn: Song without Words for Cello & Piano, Op. 109

Work length4:14

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins

Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58

Work length24:59

$6.00

$7.80

$10.50

Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins

I. Allegro assai vivace

Track length7:35

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

II. Allegretto scherzando

Track length5:05

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Adagio

Track length5:06

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

IV. Molto allegro e vivace

Track length7:13

$2.00

$2.60

$3.50

About
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About

On this disc the Watkins brothers, Huw and Paul, join forces to perform works by Felix Mendelssohn for cello and piano. The two Sonatas for Cello and Piano which Mendelssohn composed for his younger brother, a cellist, are characterised by a strong and complex undercurrent of feeling, and superb artistry. Recognised by Schumann as light and extremely tuneful examples of the genre, he suggested of the sonata in B flat major that it was ‘a sonata for the most refined family circle, to be enjoyed at its best, perhaps, after some poems by Goethe or Lord Byron’.

In his day, Mendelssohn’s name was strongly associated with the so-called Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), a collection of charming and intimate miniatures for solo piano. Only on one occasion did Mendelssohn compose a work in this genre specifically for cello and piano: the poetic and lyrical Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109, recorded here, which he dedicated to Lisa Cristiani, one of the few women cellists of the time.

Huw Watkins is the pianist on this recording. A highly regarded performer of contemporary and twentieth-century works, he is also a composer in his own right, whose works have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by the likes of the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Nash Ensemble. Paul Watkins, an exclusive Chandos artist and one of Britain’s foremost cellists, performs regularly with the major British orchestras and has made six appearances as a concerto soloist at the BBC Proms. A rapidly developing conductor, in 2009 he took up appointments as Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra.

For Chandos the Watkins brothers have previously recorded a disc of Sonatas and Variations for Cello and Piano by Martinů (CHAN10602), of which Fanfare wrote: ‘The performances are superb. I particularly admire Paul Watkins’s unforced cello sound and the fluency and shapeliness of Huw Watkins’s piano playing.’

Reviews

December 2011

The Watkins' extraordinary fraternal partnership resonates with Mendelssohn's own relationship to his cellist brother, Paul. Here, Huw (a composer and pianist) and elder brother (a cellist and conductor) combine to create performances of warmth and intelligence. Their Variations concertantes are irresistably ebullient: there's real fire in the belly of the fourth variation...these are good performances with a true Mendelssohnian spirit.

February 2012

The Watkins brothers play Mendelssohn's life-enhancing Second Cello Sonata with an infectious vitality and lyrical radiance that is unforgettable...The Variations concertantes receives a desert island performance that brims over with infectious bonhomie.

December 2011

The two sonatas lie somewhere between Beethoven and Brahms but still have Mendelssohn's own stamp of fresh individuality...There have been plenty of recommendable recordings of this music...but this finely balanced and recorded Chandos CD now stands high on the list of recommendations.

27th November 2011

This glittering, calm sub-oeuvre fits compactly on a CD and is beautifully performed by the versatile Watkins brothers...The cellist’s tone in Op 109, as throughout the sequence, combines the most immediate speaking quality (though absent, words seem imminent) with an immaculate shining loveliness

2nd December 2011

The fluency of Mendelssohn’s ideas, his polished craftsmanship and the music’s generally sunny disposition are matched by playing that has real verve, expressive finesse and an infectious romantic spirit.

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