Dohnanyi, Kodaly, Strauss: Sonatas for Cello and Piano
Catalog Number: J123
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ARTISTS
Nancy Green, CELLIST
Tannis Gibson, PIANIST
 
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REPERTOIRE
 
Here are three cello sonatas by composers just on the brink of establishing their own voices. Zoltán Kodály, by the time of his Opus 4 Sonata, had pretty much found the manner of expression he would favor through the rest of his career; in contrast the sonatas of Richard Strauss and Ernö [Ernst von] Dohnányi are journeyman works still strongly influenced by the German romantics. Dohnányi's music would retain that influence for decades, continuing to find vitality in the style; Strauss would go on to establish a reputation as a boisterous, bombastic radical, but he never fully broke with the traditions from which he emerged, traditions that permeate his cello sonata. These Strauss and Dohnanyi sonatas reveal the composers' heightened consciousness of the their heritage, without seeming derivative.
    -from the Program Notes, by James Reel 
 
"The performances and recording quality leave nothing to be desired. The players are both strong and subtle; they play superbly together with appropriately varied tempi, clear articulation, vigorous attacks and full tone. As for the recording: with my eyes closed they might almost be playing in my living room." CLASSICAL.NET

“Cellist Nancy Green merges her richly nuanced artistry beautifully with Tannis Gibson's crystalline pianism. Grade: A.” THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER

“... a fine duo, each a consummate performer in her own right. ... imbued with immense energy, with brilliant playing in evidence from both performers. ... performances of the highest quality. ... they have proven themselves capable of great things” CLASSICAL VOICE OF NEW ENGLAND

“…this arresting and vigorously performed collection of sonatas for cello (Green) and piano (Gibson) celebrate the strengths of the Ernö Dohnányi and Richard Strauss pieces while admitting that they're ‘journeyman works’… ” WORLD MAGAZINE

ERNO DOHNANYI SONATA: “It is a hard piece to balance since it tempts one to overdo its emotionality. Then if you hold it back, it gets frustrating. Green and Gibson find a good compromise, playing alertly and with passion and tonal depth, but keeping the music on its feet and dancing, not plowing the ground or stuck in the mud. This is a fine performance of an exciting piece.” AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

“…the sound is remarkably rich and well balanced, making it a rather unusual pleasure to hear.” AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE