Mendelssohn CD

Release Date January 19, 2024

Edition CD

The long-awaited new album from Sol Gabetta, once again with the excellent French pianist Bertrand Chamayou. Mendelssohn's complete works for cello and piano are combined with new pieces by renowned contemporary composers, written expressly for this album and inspired by Mendelssohn's famous Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109.

For her new album, Sol Gabetta once again teams up with French pianist Betrand Chamayou. The album features the complete works for cello and piano by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847). It begins with the Variations concertantes, Op. 17, which consist of 8 variations. Mendelssohn dedicated the variations to his brother Paul. Although Paul Mendelssohn-Bartholdy later became an important banker and not a cellist, he was able to play the technically demanding work to Felix's satisfaction. The simple variation appears in piano and cello and then develops with dramatic Baroque elements. Of course, these variations leave room for the excellent virtuosity of Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou. In the late 1830s, Mendelssohn became interested in chamber music for strings and piano: "In addition, a very important branch of piano music, trios, quartets and other things with accompaniment, true chamber music, is now completely forgotten and it is imperious to me to have something new in it. I would like to add something to it," he wrote in 1838. Mendelssohn's two cello sonatas No. 1, Op. 45 and No. 2, Op. 58 are distinguished by a complete balance between the piano and cello parts that allows Sol Gabetta and Bertrand Chamayou to showcase their full prowess. The piece Assai tranquillo in B minor, MWV Q 25, of great melancholic beauty, written by Mendelssohn for his friend, cellist and assistant Kapellmeister, as well as the famous Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109, are two short pieces ideal for streaming. The album also includes 5 new short pieces, all world premiere recordings, specially created for this album. All these pieces are inspired by Mendelssohn's Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109 and are written by renowned composers: Heinz Holliger, Wolfgan Rihm, Francesco Coll, Jörg Widman.