Notes and Editorial Reviews
A disc I would recommend to anyone looking for excellent versions of any of these works.
Benjamin Britten composed his Cello Sonata in C at Rostropovich’s request when the composer first met the great Russian cellist in 1960. Britten completed it the following year, and Rostropovich was, by all accounts, immensely - and justifiably! - fond of the work. It here opens a carefully-chosen programme of pieces by Britten, his teacher Frank Bridge, and contemporary composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. The sonata is performed by cellist Guy Johnston with utter and rather frenetic conviction and passion, beautifully accompanied by Kathryn Stott - a promising start to the disc.
It is followed by the Frank Bridge
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Spring Song and
Mélodie. These two short gems date from 1912 and 1911 respectively - and are therefore in Bridge’s early, more romantic, style - and receive lyrical and yet impassioned performances from Johnston and Stott. The ensuing
Sleep on - Three Lullabies for cello and piano by Turnage was heavily influenced by Britten’s cello suites, and one can hear how it very much inhabits a similar sound-world. The final movement,
Lullaby, is particularly beautifully played, with a luminous and gorgeously resonant sound from the cello.
Bridge’s Cello Sonata in D minor of 1913-17 is also radiantly played, Johnston and Stott capturing the idiom perfectly. For me, this spectacular performance is the highlight of the disc, with its full-blooded, committed and purposeful playing.
The disc concludes with a short piece by Turnage composed last year and named after his son - and Guy Johnson’s god-son -
Milo. It is a beautiful and atmospheric work, and the excellent performance is marred only - for me at least - by the occasional too-audible sniff from the cello soloist.
There is some superb music-making on this CD, demonstrating a tremendous synergy between the performers, and total dedication to the music. It is certainly a disc I would recommend to anyone looking for excellent versions of any of these works.
-- Em Marshall, MusicWeb International
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Works on This Recording
1.
Sonata for Cello and Piano in C major, Op. 65 by Benjamin Britten
Performer:
Guy Johnston (Cello),
Kathryn Stott (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1961; England
Venue: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Mo
Length: 19 Minutes 21 Secs.
2.
Sleep on... by Mark-Anthony Turnage
Performer:
Guy Johnston (Cello),
Kathryn Stott (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: England
Venue: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Mo
Length: 3 Minutes 47 Secs.
3.
Sonata for cello & piano in D minor, H 125 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Guy Johnston (Cello),
Kathryn Stott (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1913-1917
Venue: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Mo
Length: 22 Minutes 5 Secs.
4.
Milo, for cello & piano by Mark-Anthony Turnage
Performer:
Guy Johnston (Cello),
Kathryn Stott (Piano)
Written: 2009
Venue: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Mo
Length: 3 Minutes 41 Secs.
5.
Short Pieces (4) for Violin and Piano, H 104: no 2, Spring Song by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Guy Johnston (Cello),
Kathryn Stott (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1912; England
Venue: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Mo
Length: 2 Minutes 10 Secs.
6.
Mélodie, for violin (or cello) & piano in C sharp minor, H. 99 by Frank Bridge
Performer:
Guy Johnston (Cello),
Kathryn Stott (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1911
Venue: Wyastone Concert Hall, Wyastone Leys, Mo
Length: 3 Minutes 38 Secs.
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