Mendelssohn: Cello Piano Works

David Geringas / Ian Fountain

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Mendelssohn: Cello Piano Works Review

by Mike D. Brownell

With much music-making taking place in the Mendelssohn household, young Felix was exposed to a broad diversity of styles, composers, and instruments. Although he was clearly a pianist at heart, his brother Paul somewhat grudgingly played the piano. This was to be Felix's first introduction to the instrument and was sufficient to spawn some much beloved compositions. The first of these was the Op. 17 Variations concertantes and later the Op. 45 B flat major Sonata. By 1841, Mendelssohn began composing for the cello again, but this time not for his brother. The result was the brilliant, sunny D major Sonata, a work filled with Mendelssohn's trademark mercurial writing. Performing these works alongside some Piatti transcriptions of selected Songs Without Words is Lithuanian-born cellist David Geringas and pianist Ian Fountain. The disc opens with the D major Sonata, a curious choice as this piece seems to have the most energetic, uplifting ending and would seem better suited for the album's finale. Regardless of program order, Geringas and Fountain form a splendid duo that yields some dazzling, vigorous, detail-oriented playing. Balance between the two instruments is ideal and the two engage in a virtual game of cat and mouse racing about trying to catch each other through the brisk tempos. Geringas' playing is nicely in tune and his tone is focused and projecting. He easily changes gears to the more lyrical Songs Without Words and with a lush, beautifully connected legato sound.

Track Listing

Title/Composer Performer Time Stream
Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 58
1 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 07:46 SpotifyAmazon
2 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 05:07 SpotifyAmazon
3 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 04:28 SpotifyAmazon
4 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 06:43 SpotifyAmazon
5 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 02:12 SpotifyAmazon
6 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 03:51 SpotifyAmazon
Sonata No. 1 in B flat major, Op. 45
7 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 08:39 SpotifyAmazon
8 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 05:12 SpotifyAmazon
9 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 06:36 SpotifyAmazon
10 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 02:41 SpotifyAmazon
11 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 02:05 SpotifyAmazon
12 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 01:51 SpotifyAmazon
13 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 02:14 SpotifyAmazon
14 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 01:53 SpotifyAmazon
15 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 02:38 SpotifyAmazon
16 Ian Fountain / David Geringas 08:24 SpotifyAmazon
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