Steven Isserlis, Connie Shih Schumann & Moscheles: 1851 Cello Sonatas CD

Schumann & Moscheles description: ‘Prepare to be seduced’ (Gramophone) Steven Isserlis’s latest album takes inspiration from a single year: 1851, a year of invention, exhibition and creativity Sonatas by Moscheles and Schumann (Violin Sonata No 2, specially arranged for cello by Isserlis) both date from that year Also featuring four miniatures, including a Schumann song transcription and the famous Bach/Gounod ‘Ave Maria’ The album centres around an 1851 Érard piano—played by Connie Shih—which won a Prize Medal at that year’s Great Exhibition in London The piano recorded here may well be one of the very instruments first showcased at the Great Exhibition Winner of 2 Gramophone Awards, Steven Isserlis CBE enjoys a global career as a cellist, author and broadcaster

1. Schumann/Isserlis (S): Violin Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 121 - 1: Ziemlich langsam – Lebhaft
2. Schumann/Isserlis (S): Violin Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 121 - 2: Sehr lebhaft
3. Schumann/Isserlis (S): Violin Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 121 - 3: Leise, einfach
4. Schumann/Isserlis (S): Violin Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op 121 - 4: Bewegt
5. David/Isserlis (S): 5 Salonstücke, Op 28 - 4: Romanze
6. Moscheles: Cello Sonata in E major, Op 121 - 1: Allegro espressivo e appassionato
7. Moscheles: Cello Sonata in E major, Op 121 - 2: Scherzo ‘ballabile’: Allegretto quasi allegro
8. Moscheles: Cello Sonata in E major, Op 121 - 3: Ballade ‘in böhmischer Weise’: Andantino
9. Moscheles: Cello Sonata in E major, Op 121 - 4: Allegro vivace, ma non troppo
10. Schumann/Isserlis (S): Fünf Lieder und Gesänge, Op 127 - 1: Sängers Trost
11. Bach; Gounod: Méditation sur le premier prélude de piano de J S Bach ‘Ave Maria’
12. Bach; Gounod: Méditation sur le premier prélude de piano de J S Bach