Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata is dedicated to his friend Anatoly Brandukov, a celebrated Russian cellist who premiered several Tchaikovsky works and inspired the cello's expressive role in the sonata.
Album & Artwork
The album, titled "Dialogues," aims to create conversations between two instruments, two musicians, and two composers, and between the artists and the listener.
Critical Reception
Rebecca Clarke's Sonata placed second in a prestigious competition, but some critics believed "Rebecca Clarke" was a pseudonym for Ernest Bloch or attributed the piece to Ravel, as it was socially unacceptable for a woman to have written such a beautiful work at the time.
Composer Biography
The album features works by a female and a male composer, Rebecca Clarke (English) and Sergei Rachmaninoff (Russian), both of whom were virtuoso instrumentalists who emigrated to the United States.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff's Cello Sonata was written in the same year as his famous Piano Concerto No. 2 (1901) and marked his comeback after a period of depression.
Composition History
Rebecca Clarke's Sonata, composed in 1919, also marked a period of rebirth for her, three years after she had been expelled from her family home and forced to relocate to the United States.
Instruments
Cellist Noémie Raymond performs on a magnificent Matteo Goffriller cello, "Ex-Curtis" (1700), provided by the Canimex Group.
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