This album is dedicated in loving memory to Mats Rondin (1960-2014), who was Andreas Brantelid's teacher.
Composer Biography
Franz Liszt, the renowned composer and pianist, generously supported young cellist Carlo Alfredo Piatti by donating an expensive Amati cello to him.
Composer Biography
Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, a German cellist and professor at the Moscow Conservatory, was a close acquaintance of Tchaikovsky, who dedicated his Rococo Variations to him.
Performer Biography
Andreas Brantelid, a Danish cellist, plays the 1707 'Boni-Hegar' Stradivarius, which is made available to him through the support of Norwegian art collector Christen Sveaas.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The four cellist-composers featured on this album — Piatti, Popper, Fitzenhagen, and Klengel — changed the perception of the cello by composing innovative music for the instrument.
Compositional Technique
Carlo Alfredo Piatti's 12 Caprices, Op. 25, combine didactic technical exercises like arpeggios and double-stoppings with melodic charm and harmonic richness, avoiding pedantry.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations were dedicated to Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, but Fitzenhagen made so many alterations to the piece that Tchaikovsky reportedly remarked, 'The idiot has changed everything!'
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