The Chopin Album.
On her new album, cellist Sol Gabetta teams up with French pianist Bertrand Chamayou. Gabetta and Chamayou have played together on many occasions and quickly became both friends and artistic partners.
The Chopin Album contains a selection of pieces by well-loved composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) as well as music by his close friend, the composer and cellist Auguste-Joseph Franchomme (1808-1884).
We get to enjoy the following selections:
Chopin:
- Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65
- Grand Duo for Cello and Piano (on themes from Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable)
- Polonaise brillante Op. 3 for cello & piano
- Nocturne No. 4 in F major, Op. 15 No. 1
Chopin / Franchomme
- Étude Op. 25 No. 7 in C sharp minor
Franchomme:
- Nocturne for Cello and Piano, Op. 15, No. 1
Performed by Sol Gabetta (cello) and Bertrand Chamayou (piano)
One of the key selections of this album is Chopin’s sonata for cello and piano in G minor, op. 65, written in 1846; one of the rare pieces Chopin wrote for a solo instrument other than the piano. This cello sonata was the last work published during Chopin’s lifetime before he died in October 1849.
As a contrast, Chopin’s Polonaise brillante in C major, op. 3 for cello and piano is one of Chopin’s first published compositions and was written in October 1829, dedicated to the Austrian cellist Joseph Merk. Chopin composed the famous Nocturne in F major, op. 15, no.1 for piano in 1832. The transcription for cello and piano on this album was done by Franchomme.
Here is Sol Gabetta in Camille Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto number 1, Op. 33: