Strauss / Poulenc / Rihm - Works for Cello & Piano - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Schidlof Quartet - String Quartet 4 / String Quartet 7 [COMPACT DISCS] date 06/15/1999

Like Richard Strauss, besides the dominating stage works Richard Wagner's oeuvre catalogue shows several works for other genres, including compositions for choir, piano and chamber music as well as songs. Amongst them, the Wesendonck-Lieder, composed after texts by his occasional muse, Mathilde von Wesendonck, the wife of a Swiss industrialist, have attained special popularity. Very special is the version which can be heard on this recording for deep voice played by the violoncello. Additionally, the 'Album Page' and prelude to 'Tristan und Isolde' in the cello/piano version by Richard Wagner can be found on this . These pieces are beautifully performed on this by cellist Norbert Anger and pianist Michael Schoch.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco wrote that 'the cello is an instrument I've always particularly loved,' and this is reflected in the deft way he exploits it's colors and techniques in chamber works recorded here that include unpublished gems and a world premiere. The sophisticated Cello Sonata and Sonatina also reveal the composer's skill as a pianist, giving equal roles in a symbiotic relationship that tests both players' virtuosity. Impressionist flavors in I nottambuli or 'Night Owls' contrast with a Toccata that blends fireworks with lyricism, as does the Jewish soulfulness of the popular Chant hebraique with the playful Scherzo that uses the English traditional tune 'Sumer is icumen in.'