Rachmaninoff & Prokofiev: Works for Cello & Piano Johannes Moser & Andrei Korobeinikov

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 119:
• 1 Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 119: I. Andante grave 10:44
• 2 Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 119: II. Moderato 04:42
• 3 Prokofiev: Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 119: III. Allegro ma non troppo 07:30
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19:
• 4 Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19: I. Lento - Allegro moderato 13:08
• 5 Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19: II. Allegro scherzando 05:48
• 6 Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19: III. Andante 06:18
• 7 Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19: IV. Allegro mosso 10:38
• 14 Songs, Op. 34:
• 8 Rachmaninoff: 14 Songs, Op. 34: No. 14, Vocalise (Arr. for Cello & Piano) 06:06
• Sergei Prokofiev:
• 9 Prokofiev: Adagio from "Cinderella", Op. 97bis 04:44
• Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915):
• 10 Scriabin: Romance for Horn & Piano (Arr. for Cello & Piano) 01:56
• Total Runtime 01:11:34

Info for Rachmaninoff & Prokofiev: Works for Cello & Piano

The achingly beautiful, haunting lyricism of early Rachmaninov and the soaring effusiveness of late Prokofiev are glowingly brought to life by the German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser and the Russian pianist Andrei Korobeinikov in this new release from PENTATONE of richly expressive 20th century cello sonatas and other works.

Composed during troubled periods in the composers’ lives, the cello sonatas are life-affirming works. Rachmaninov’s arresting sonata which he wrote following a nervous breakdown is not unlike his perennially popular Second Piano Concerto: a journey from brooding melancholy to untrammelled joy, with a transcendentally beautiful slow movement. Prokofiev wrote his outstanding sonata while labouring under considerable hardship. It is by turns restrained and movingly lyrical, but the hair-raising final movement with its bravura passagework ends the work in a blaze of defiance.

“Both Rachmaninov and Prokofiev are genius musical storytellers,” Moser said in a recent interview. “Both have their own very personal and individual language, but they are at the same time deeply rooted in the epic Russian tradition…When we recorded the album, we were very inspired by images of wide open nature, Russian folklore, as well as the longing and humour that both composers share.”

“The Rachmaninov sonata is a piece that I’ve been avoiding for many years,” he added, “because I was waiting for the right partnership. And so to have a champion of Rachmaninov’s music like Andrei … it’s been very exciting for me to go on that journey with him.”

Described by Gramophone as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists” and by the LA Times as a musician who “…connects with the audience in a way that only great artists do”, this is Johannes Moser’s second outing for PENTATONE. His first album of concertos by Dvořák and Lalo was widely praised for his “performance of enormous flair and effervescence” (BBC Music Magazine) and “his dazzling virtuosity, free, passionate phrasing and immense energy … that recalls Pablo Casals’ iconic 1937 recording” (Strings). And he electrified audiences at this year’s BBC Proms in a performance of Dutilleux’s ‘Tout un monde lointain ...’

About this recording, Moser said “When we were talking about repertoire with PENTATONE, I thought about doing a really core repertoire Russian disc with this amazing Russian pianist [Andrei Korobeinikov]…He is a true master and true champion of this music and I feel very honoured to have him as a partner on this recording.”

Johannes Moser plays on a cello by Andrea Guaneri, made in 1694, from a private collection.

Johannes Moser, cello
Andrei Korobeinikov, piano

Johannes Moser
Praised for his rich, gorgeous tone and playing that can range from lovely and elegant, to vigorous with head-banging, rock star energy, German-Canadian cellist Johannes Moser has been hailed by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists.” Johannes has performed with the world’s leading orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, London Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony and Israel Philharmonic. He works regularly with conductors of the highest level including Riccardo Muti, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Valery Gergiev, Zubin Mehta, Vladimir Jurowski, Franz Welser-Möst, Manfred Honeck, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Paavo Jarvi and Semyon Bychkov.

The 2013-14 season includes debuts with the London Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Oregon Symphony and Houston Symphony as well as returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony, Deutsche-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, WDR Cologne and Essen Philharmonic.

Johannes has gained a reputation for his exquisite performances and wide ranging repertoire, much of it recorded on his extensive award-winning discography.His affinity for new music has brought him much attention from leading conductors such as Pierre Boulez, who invited him to make his U.S. debut with the Chicago Symphony on the Rands Concerto. Johannes is an enthusiastic advocate for the electric cello which he uses to explore new possibilities in sound as well as for improvisation. In October 2012 he premiered “ Magnetar”, a concerto for electric cello by Enrico Chapela, which Johannes performed with Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel and in the 2013-14 season Johannes will continue this relationship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic by performing Michel van der Aa's cello concerto “Up-close”.

Johannes is committed to reaching out to young audiences, from kindergarten to college and beyond. From his 2010 American tour with toy pianist Phyllis Chen “Sounding Off: A Fresh Look at Classical Music”, to outreach activities on campuses and performances in alternative venues, Johannes aims to present classical music in terms with which listeners of all ages can connect.

A dedicated chamber musician, Johannes has played with: Joshua Bell, Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, Menahem Pressler, James Ehnes, Midori and Jonathan Biss. He has also performed at many festivals including the Verbier, Schleswig-Holstein, Gstaad and Kissinger festivals, the Mehta Chamber Music Festival and the Colorado, Seattle and Brevard music festivals.

Johannes has received two ECHO Klassik awards and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for his recordings on Hänssler Classics. His concerto debut disc, which features the complete works of Saint-Saëns for cello and orchestra with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, was honoured as one of Classics Today’s Top 10 CDs of 2008. Following an album of works by Britten, Bridge and Bax, a disc of Martinu, Hindemith and Honegger concerti received great acclaim and was listed for the prestigious “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik”. The latest concerto album of the Britten Cello Symphony and the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 with WDR Cologne and Pietari Inkinen was released in January 2012.

Born into a musical family in 1979 as a dual citizen of Germany and Canada, Johannes began studying the cello at the age of eight and became a student of Professor David Geringas in 1997. He was the top prize winner at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition, in addition to being awarded the Special Prize for his interpretation of the Rococo Variations.

A voracious reader of everything from Kafka to Collins, and an avid outdoorsman, Johannes Moser is a keen hiker and mountain biker in what little spare time he has.

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