Music by Hahn, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Fauré and Grieg SONG OF NORWAY

Gerrit Koorsen (cello) / Eugene Joubert (piano)

A recital of music for cello and piano inspired by the inherent lyrical qualities of the instruments.

Grieg frequently spent the winter months in Europe, as his summer home outside Bergen was not well-suited to the harsh winter months. During these travels he would hear new music, present his own music, and meet other musicians and composers. We would like to think that he was inspired by the melodious nature of late 19th century German Romantic music, a country that he often visited, and as such paired his cello sonata along with what might be Schumann's most often-performed chamber work, the Fantasy Pieces. These two virtuoso works not only share the same key (A minor / major), but are filled with beautiful melodic writing, containing a wide range of emotional outpouring from sorrow to joyfulness.

Hahn’s Variations chantantes (songlike variations) has as its theme a Baroque aria which retains its statuesque beauty within Hahn’s glorious sound-world of early 20th century Paris, whilst Fauré’s Elegy is filled with an intense emotional outpouring of grief. The three short works by Rachmaninoff captures his unique approach to lyricism and harmonic beauty perfectly - first in two songs transcriptions and finally in the Andante movement from his cello sonata.

 

​ R150.00