Mendelssohn Cello Sonatas

Clearly, cellist Mischa Maisky has discovered a terrific marketing gimmick. With his recording of Schubert's Arpeggione Sonata coupled with transcriptions of 14 of that composer's songs; his recording of Brahms' cello sonatas coupled with seven transcriptions of that composer's songs; and his recording of almost nothing but transcriptions of songs by Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Duparc, and Poulenc, Maisky has found an effective way to distinguish his recordings from those of other cellists. Thankfully, Maisky's gimmick is more than a publicity stunt: each of the above recordings is distinguished by his full-bodied tone, spectacular technique, and sensitive musicianship.

Pieter Wispelwey and his gut-string cello partner for a second time with Paolo Giacometti in a programme of Chopin and Mendelssohn. But there is a another great musical figure on this disc – the cellist and composer Karl Davidoff, who studied with Moscheles and Mendelssohn’s violinist and composer friend Ferdinand David. Davidoff’s brilliant arrangements of the Chopin Waltzes Op. 64 form a sparkling interlude between Mendelssohn’s brilliant 2nd sonata, and Chopin’s late and great sonata for cello and piano.

Take two of the twentieth century’s greatest instrumental soloists, put them together at the service of Beethoven in a live recital, film it and you get what we have here – an historic musical document that is both important and inspirational.
This single concert was recorded at the Usher Hall during the Edinburgh Festival in 1964 and the West was still getting used to being able see and hear these sensational Soviet artists in the flesh. Until the late ’fifties they had been virtually locked behind the "Iron Curtain".

Light & Dark is an impassioned and energetic performance of historic music that speaks to modern listeners. Cellist Catherine Little and pianist Gregory Myra’s interpretation of Mendelssohn’s joyful D Major and Shostakovich’s angsty D minor cello sonatas is a storytelling of the wonder and adversities of life. The album is a follow-up to the duo’s 2021 release, Taking Five, which won the 2022 Nova Scotia Music Award for Classical Recording of the Year, and which was praised by La Scena magazine for “…eloquently balancing graceful repetition and magical moments.”

Light & Dark is an impassioned and energetic performance of historic music that speaks to modern listeners. Cellist Catherine Little and pianist Gregory Myra’s interpretation of Mendelssohn’s joyful D Major and Shostakovich’s angsty D minor cello sonatas is a storytelling of the wonder and adversities of life. The album is a follow-up to the duo’s 2021 release, Taking Five, which won the 2022 Nova Scotia Music Award for Classical Recording of the Year, and which was praised by La Scena magazine for “…eloquently balancing graceful repetition and magical moments.”