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Repertoire & Availability
Program Proposals – 2012/13 season
A) Russian Classics
Prokofiev Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, op. 119 (1949)
Auerbach* Sonata no. 1 for Violoncello and Piano (2003 – composed for D. Finckel and Wu Han))
(A performance CD of this work is available by request)
Rachmaninov* Sonata for Piano and Cello in g minor, op. 19 (1901)
*Alternate work if either Auerbach or Rachmaninov is not desired:
Shostakovich Sonata for Cello and Piano in d minor, op. 40 (1934)
The Russian Classics program is a duo specialty. It features your choice between twentieth century Russia’s three greatest works for the cello and piano (Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov - each strongly representative of their time, place, and creator), or a more diverse selection including the gripping contemporary sonata by Lera Auerbach. These works evoke everything from the romanticism of tsarist Russia to the torturous climate in Soviet times under the Stalin regime. These works are musical stories told by voices from within a vast land, which take the listener deep inside the Russian soul. From tragic to sarcastic, from mystical to picturesque to passionate, no other music so vividly describes a country, its people, and its changing culture.
The musical lineage of the Prokofiev Sonata traces directly to David Finckel, for whose teacher, the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, the piece was composed.
The young Russian composer Lera Auerbach’s Cello Sonata is a dark and haunting work, reminiscent of the composer’s Russian heritage while firmly rooted in the 21st century.
B) Great Expectations: Brahms as the Next Beethoven
Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Cello in g minor, Op. 5 No. 2
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in e minor, Op. 38
Beethoven: 12 Variations in G major on "See the conqu'ring hero comes"
from Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, WoO 45
Brahms: Sonata for Cello and Piano in F major, Op. 99
This program juxtaposes the music, one might say, of the father and the son. Brahms, at an early age, was critically deemed to inherit the heavy mantle of Beethoven and become the greatest composer of his age. Devoted single-mindedly to music, Brahms threw himself at the challenge, producing works of indomitable integrity infused with the romantic spirit of his age. But the genius of Beethoven was ever-present, as in this program, which clearly shows the musical terrain that Brahms was to navigate, and become as predicted, the Beethoven of his day.
C) Diverse Dramas – stories from three worlds
Beethoven: Sonata for Piano and Cello in g minor, Op. 5 No. 2 (1796 - Germany)
Pierre Jalbert (b. 1967): Sonata for cello and piano (2007) (2007 - America)
Rachmaninov Sonata for Piano and Cello in g minor, op. 19 (1901 – Russia)
Diverse Dramas features three distinct pieces from three different centuries. Each a masterpiece from its time, the program begins with an early cello sonata by Beethoven, heralding the beginning of the cello and piano duo repertoire. Written in 2007 for David Finckel and Wu Han, Pierre Jalbert's sonata is one of the most evocative and accessible masterpieces of the twenty-first century. The program is capped by Rachmaninov's seminal and beloved cello sonata. From the haunting opening of the Beethoven to the surging climaxes of the Rachmaninov, Diverse Dramas is a program of great intimacy and surprise which is sure to rivet audiences.
General note: David Finckel and Wu Han plan to offer AudioNotes for all programs.
AudioNotes is a CD-companion to conventional program notes, featuring biographical information on the program’s composer(s) and discussions of each work, illustrated with musical examples. It can be made available by special arrangement with ArtistLed, Inc., for presenters to offer to advance ticket buyers, or to help promote the concert in other ways. AudioNotes, narrated by the artists, offers audiences an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the music at their convenience in advance of the concert experience. Beyond audience development, presenters may also find AudioNotes a useful tool for promotional, educational, and development purposes.