Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins - Mendelssohn: Works for cello & piano (2011) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. Cello Sonata No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 45, MWV Q 27: I. Allegro vivace
02. Cello Sonata No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 45, MWV Q 27: II. Andante
03. Cello Sonata No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 45, MWV Q 27: III. Allegro assai
04. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Thema: Andante con moto
05. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 1
06. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 2
07. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 3: Più vivace
08. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 4: Allegro con fuoco
09. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 5: L'istesso tempo
10. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 6: L'istesso tempo
11. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 7: Presto ed agitato
12. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Variation 8: Tempo I -
13. Variations concertantes in D Major, Op. 17, MWV Q 19: Coda
14. Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109, MWV Q 34: Lied ohne worte (Song without Words), Op. 109
15. Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58, MWV Q 32: I. Allegro assai vivace
16. Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58, MWV Q 32: II. Allegretto scherzando
17. Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58, MWV Q 32: III. Adagio
18. Cello Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58, MWV Q 32: IV. Molto allegro e vivace

On this disc the Watkins brothers, Huw and Paul, join forces to perform works by Felix Mendelssohn for cello and piano. The two Sonatas for Cello and Piano which Mendelssohn composed for his younger brother, a cellist, are characterised by a strong and complex undercurrent of feeling, and superb artistry. Recognised by Schumann as light and extremely tuneful examples of the genre, he suggested of the sonata in B flat major that it was ‘a sonata for the most refined family circle, to be enjoyed at its best, perhaps, after some poems by Goethe or Lord Byron’.

In his day, Mendelssohn’s name was strongly associated with the so-called Lieder ohne Worte (Songs without Words), a collection of charming and intimate miniatures for solo piano. Only on one occasion did Mendelssohn compose a work in this genre specifically for cello and piano: the poetic and lyrical Lied ohne Worte, Op. 109, recorded here, which he dedicated to Lisa Cristiani, one of the few women cellists of the time.

Huw Watkins is the pianist on this recording. A highly regarded performer of contemporary and twentieth-century works, he is also a composer in his own right, whose works have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by the likes of the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and Nash Ensemble. Paul Watkins, an exclusive Chandos artist and one of Britain’s foremost cellists, performs regularly with the major British orchestras and has made six appearances as a concerto soloist at the BBC Proms. A rapidly developing conductor, in 2009 he took up appointments as Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra.

For Chandos the Watkins brothers have previously recorded a disc of Sonatas and Variations for Cello and Piano by Martinů (CHAN10602), of which Fanfare wrote: ‘The performances are superb. I particularly admire Paul Watkins’s unforced cello sound and the fluency and shapeliness of Huw Watkins’s piano playing.’

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