Two stars of classical music combine for this chamber music recital: cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Yuja Wang. Drawn from their extensive 2019 North American tour, the album features Chopin’s G minor Cello Sonata and Introduction and Polonaise brillante, as well as an arrangement of Franck’s beloved Violin Sonata. The exciting duo conclude with a Piazzolla tango.
Featuring
Gautier Capuçon
Yuja Wang
César Franck
Frédéric Chopin
Ástor Piazzolla
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Compositional Technique
Chopin's Cello Sonata, while appearing to follow normal structural parameters, reveals a 'volatile soundworld' with restless emotional changeability that anticipates Gustav Mahler's music 50 years later.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Koerner Hall, Royal Conservatory, Toronto, Canada, a concert hall praised for its beauty and superb acoustics since its opening in 2009.
Composition History
Franck's Violin Sonata was written as a wedding present for fellow-Belgian and celebrated virtuoso violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who premiered it for his wedding guests.
Composer's Artistic Vision
César Franck's music has a unique flavor due to his tendency to organize it in terms of dynamic terracing and blocks of differentiated sound, traditionally associated with the organ.
Composer Biography
Frédéric Chopin, one of the most celebrated pianists of his age, made barely 30 public appearances due to the 'blind terror' he experienced playing in front of large audiences.
Composer Biography
Chopin's relationship with novelist George Sand (Aurore Dudevant) was turbulent, marked by their contrasting personalities, including Sand's progressive lifestyle and Chopin's conservative nature.
Composition History
Chopin's Cello Sonata caused him 'protracted creative agonies,' with the manuscript occasionally 'hurled into a corner' and nearly 200 pages of sketches evidencing his indecision.
