About the album
Jamie Walton and Daniel Grimwood continue their performance partnership with this recording of sonatas for cello and piano by Shostakovich, Britten and Prokofiev. Both Walton and Grimwood are accomplished performers who regularly work together both on disc and in concert, as well as being highly active in the wider musical world. A recent highlight for Walton is his North York Moors Chamber Music Festival (where both he and Grimwood performed), which was nominated for a Royal Philharmonic society award in 2011.
Cellosonates uitgevoerd door een getalenteerd duo
Jamie Walton en Daniel Grimwood zijn beiden talentvolle musici die regelmatig samenwerken op concerten en in opnames en daarnaast zeer actief zijn in de bredere muzikale wereld. Met deze opname met sonates voor cello en piano van Sjostakovitsj, Britten en Prokofiev zetten Walton en Grimwood hun partnerschap voort.
Sjostakovitsj droeg zijn Cellosonate Opus 40 op aan zijn vriend, de cellist Viktor Kubatsky, die het werk tijdens de première in 1934 uitvoerde. De sonate werd gecomponeerd voorafgaand aan de veroordelingen van artiesten door Stalin, maar heeft over het algemeen een positief karakter, waarin de typische bijtende scherpzinnigheid, hardnekkige ostinato’s en stekelig enthousiasme behouden blijven.
Of het nu wel of niet is voorgeschreven door het staatsbeleid van de Sovjetunie, eenvoud is van het grootste belang in de Cellosonate Opus 119 van Prokofiev. De schurende dissonante technieken die vaak op sensationele wijze aanwezig zijn in Prokofievs werken zijn verdwenen, en de harmonie, de begeleiding en het ritme worden op een opgeruimde en directe manier geuit. Het effect is positief, nauwelijks verstoken van strijd, maar opgewekt in plaats van terneergeslagen.
Britten componeerde zijn Cellosonate Opus 65 voor de getalenteerde cellist Mstislav Rostropovitsj, met wie Prokofiev ook samenwerkte. Galina Vishnevskaya, de echtgenoot van Rostropovitsj, beschreef de sonate als een portret van haar man, “soms hoog en expressief, soms laag en grommend, soms vrolijk en zorgeloos.”
Artist(s)
Jamie Walton
With a powerful and penetrating sound, Jamie Walton is becoming increasingly renowned for his purity of tone, emotionally engaging interpretations and relentless commitment to the music he believes in. Compared by critics to some of the great cellists of the past his distinctive sound and clean interpretations mark Jamie out as a true individualist. Having appeared throughout much of Europe, the USA, New Zealand, Australia and the UK in some of the world’s most eminent halls, Jamie has given radio broadcasts, recitals and concertos in many international festivals and was the first cellist to give a recital in the new Melbourne Recital Centre. After studying with Margaret Moncrieff at Wells Cathedral School (where he was recently given a Fellowship) he continued his studies with William Pleeth and at the RNCM where he met his duo partner Daniel Grimwood. They have since emerged as one of the most dynamic and original partnerships of their generation, frequently lauded for their passionate and stirring interpretations, unifying chemistry and for championing lesser known repertoire they believe deserves wider recognition alongside the classics. Their charismatic partnership has taken them to over 20 countries in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and an increasing discography demonstrates one of the most captivating duo-ships today. Jamie has recorded ten concertos with the Philharmonia and his unique interpretations are receiving great critical acclaim whilst he gains a reputation as an original interpreter of the repertoire; or as Norman Lebrecht recently wrote: “this is more than a performance; this is an act of interpretation.” He has recently recorded the Dvorák and Schumann concertos with the Philharmonia under Vladimir Ashkenazy as well as the complete works for cello by Britten for a forthcoming release. Equally passionate about chamber music which he describes as the pinnacle of musical expression and experience, Jamie subsequently set up and launched the North York Moors Chamber Music Festival, an instant success going on to be shortlisted for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award in 2011. As a member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, he was elected into the Freedom of the City of London, having performed for HRH The Prince of Wales. Jamie performs on a 1712 Guarneri and is now regarded as one of the most outstanding and relevant cellists of his generation.
Daniel Grimwood
With a repertoire, which ranges from Elizabethan Virginal music to composers of the modern day, Grimwood is carving a reputation as one of the most varied and insightful musicians of his generation. Although primarily a pianist, he is frequently to be found performing on harpsichord, organ, viola or composing at his desk. Felix Aprahamian once wrote of him: “Probably the finest all-round musician I have ever known.” He is a passionate champion of the early piano, and performed (2009) Liszt’s Années de Pèlerinage at the Wigmore hall on an 1851 Erard to rapturous critical acclaim. His recording of the same was CD of the week in the Telegraph, Editor’s Choice in Gramophone magazine and has been unanimously praised in the press. On being offered a scholarship to the Purcell School in 1987, he studied piano with Graham Fitch, violin/viola with Elspeth Illif and Sybil Copland and composition/counterpoint with Tim Stevenson. He later finished his pianistic training under the tutelage of Vladimir Ovchinnikov and Peter Feuchtwanger. He has subsequently enjoyed a solo career, which has taken him across the globe, performing in many of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals. A passionate Chamber musician, Grimwood’s work has always been closely associated with cellist Jamie Walton. Their combined work has seen them performing a recital of Chopin at Symphony Hall, Birmingham where they shared the evening with Krystian Zimerman, as well as an appearance at the Chateauville Foundation in Virginia, USA at the personal invitation of Maestro Lorin Maazel. His recording and performances of Liszt on an 1851 Erard have won him rapturous critical acclaim, and his acquisition of Moscheles’ 1840 Erard will enable him to explore the Romantic repertoire more fully.
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