Russian Music for Cello & Piano

WarnerNuzova Recording Debut

The WarnerNuzova duo - cellist Wendy Warner and pianist Irina Nuzova - makes its recording debut with five late-Romantic Russian works on an album dedicated to the memory of one of Warner's mentors, the illustrious Russian cellist, composer, and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (1927-2007).

Fittingly, two of the pieces were originally written for Rostropovich: Nikolai Miaskovsky's rarely heard Sonata No. 2 in A Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 81; and Alfred Schnittke's Baroque-inspired Musica nostalgica, for violoncello and piano.

This is the first American recording of Miaskovsky's mellifluous Sonata No. 2, a work that's rarely performed outside of Russia. It will be a discovery for most listeners.

Alexander Scriabin's Etude Op. 8, No. 11, is a beautiful encore piece brimming with chromatic harmonies; Sergei Prokofiev's Adagio from Ten Pieces from Cinderella, Op. 97b, is based on a duet from his ballet; and Sergei Rachmaninov's Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano, Op. 19, is a riveting four-movement work from the same period as his Second Piano Concerto.

Critical Acclaim

A good deal of press has been generated by this CD; reviews are available on allmusic.com,The Huffington Post, and Classical Candor. Not only does Fanfare Magazine include an interview with the WarnerNuzova duo, but it has the CD as the magazine's cover!

Tracks

1. Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81: I. Allegro moderato, Miaskovsky
2. Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81: II. Andante cantabile, Miaskovsky
3. Cello Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Op. 81: III. Allegro con spirito, Miaskovsky
4. 12 Etudes, Op. 8 (arr. for cello and piano), No. 11 in B flat minor, Scriabin
5. Musica nostalgica, Schnittke
6. Adagio, Op. 97b (from Cinderella, Op. 87), Prokofiev
7. Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 : I. Lento - Allegro moderato, Rachmaninov
8. Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 : II. Allegro scherzando, Rachmaninov
9. Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 : III. Andante, Rachmaninov
10. Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 : IV. Allegro mosso, Rachmaninov