Rachmaninov & Myaskovsky : Sonatas for Cello and Piano

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Despite (or because of) composing some twenty-seven symphonies, Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950) has practically been forgotten about. He was a student of Liadov and Rimsky-Korsakov and a friend of Prokofiev, but he never ventured far from his romantic style of writing even when it was fading in popularity. Despite this, he was a fantastic composer of instrumental music, as demonstrated by this First Sonata composed in 1911 which has since been revised several times. Its lyricism is perfectly suited to the cello’s rich sound that is so close to the human voice.

As a finalist of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, special prize winner at the Tchaikovsy Competition in Moscow and ADAMI Classical Musical Talent in Paris, Bruno Philippe has amassed a whole host of prizes and awards, but it is a desire to play music that motivates him rather than a desire for recognition. After an initial project dedicated to Brahms’ two Sonatas, he signed with Harmonia Mundi and released an album dedicated to Beethoven and Schubert.

Here, he explores the work of Myaskovsky with pianist and composer Jérôme Ducros, however most of this new recording is dedicated to Rachmaninov and includes two of his early pieces, Prelude and Oriental Dance and the famous Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor. As an added bonus Prelude in C sharp minor is also included, a piece which Jérôme Ducros clearly enjoys playing and which we certainly enjoy listening to. This piece was one of the main reasons for the composer’s worldwide fame even though it was unexpected and he would have been grateful just for some public recognition for his symphonies. © François Hudry/Qobuz