Koppel: Works for Cello & Piano

Featuring

Morten Zeuthen
Amalie Malling
Herman David Koppel
Benjamin Koppel

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

The slow middle movements of both Herman D. Koppel's "Ternio" and Cello Sonata are passacaglias, a form that conveys warmth and seriousness through a predetermined bass line.

Historical Context

Before 1950, no well-known Danish composers, including Carl Nielsen, Rued Langgaard, Niels W. Gade, J.P.E. Hartmann, or Friedrich Kuhlau, wrote any significant works for the cello.

Album & Artwork

The album includes a new composition by Benjamin Koppel, Herman D. Koppel's grandson and a jazz musician, which is based on Herman's solo cello work "Introduction, Theme with Variations and Epilogue."

Composer Biography

Herman D. Koppel was a prominent Danish pianist, and his skill on the instrument is evident in the excellent piano parts of the works on this album.

Critical Reception

Herman D. Koppel's Cello Sonata, Op. 62, premiered in Copenhagen, was highly praised by critics, with one newspaper calling it "a source of real joy" and another stating it was an excellent representation of Danish musical culture.

Composer Biography

Herman D. Koppel, late in his life, studied and performed all of Schoenberg's solo piano works at the age of 71, demonstrating his continued interest in twelve-tone technique.