Bohuslav Martinu: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 3 Paul Watkins and The Nash Ensemble

• Bohuslav Martinu (1890 - 1959): Sonata No. 1, H 277 (1939):
• 1 I. Poco allegro 05:43
• 2 II. Lento 05:49
• 3 III. Allegro con brio 05:27
• Variations on a Slovak Theme, H 378 (1959):
• 4 Variations on a Slovak Folksong, H. 378 09:05
• Sonata No. 2, H 286 (1941):
• 5 I. Allegro 06:38
• 6 II. Largo 07:02
• 7 III. Allegro commodo 04:54
• Variations on a Theme of Rossini, H 290 (1942):
• 8 Variations on a Theme of Rossini, H. 290 07:39
• Sonata No. 3 , H 340 (1952):
• 9 I. Poco andante 07:06
• 10 II. Andante 05:23
• 11 III. Allegro (ma non Presto) 05:19
• Total Runtime 01:10:05

Info zu Bohuslav Martinu: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1, 2 & 3

Paul Watkins is one of the world’s finest cellists. He is much in demand throughout the world and although he has made several recordings for Chandos in the past, this is his first as an exclusive artist. He is accompanied by his brother Huw Watkins, with whom he has developed an extremely rewarding musical partnership.

The three cello sonatas of the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu span the period 1939 – 52 and are full of rewarding musical invention. The experience of his long exile was often expressed in his music, particularly here in the Third Sonata and in the Variations on a Slovak Theme. If in the First, competed in 1939, the unease occasioned by World War II may be detected in the first two movements, the energetic finale, driven by Martinu’s motoric rhythms, prompted the composer to remark of its first performance: ‘It came as a last greeting, a beam of light from a better world (which is the opinion of others, not my own). For several minutes we realised what music could give us and we forgot about reality.’

In the Second Sonata, of 1941, the composer embraced classical forms, though the first movement is typically vigorous and energetic, in the composer’s most rhythmic manner. The second movement is full of passionate longing, with a gorgeous lyrical cello line, whilst the finale uses the composer’s characteristic motor rhythms, with powerful stamping gestures suggesting Bohemian peasant dances.

The Third Sonata, completed in October 1952, is the most immediately appealing of the three sonatas, full of attractive Czech melodies and offering essentially good-natured melodies and harmony – as well as humour, especially in the finale.

The Variations on a Theme of Rossini (1942), dedicated to Gregor Piatigorsky, shows the composer at his most wittily light-hearted, and offers brilliance and virtuosity in spades. The Variations on a Slovak Theme (1959) were written during the composer’s final illness – Martinu had been diagnosed with stomach cancer. They are certainly appealing and resourceful, but strong feelings for the distant homeland are distinctly audible.

“There is a strong sense of ensemble at every stage, but beyond this, the performers have an instinctive grasp of the often mercurial dynamics of this music...Perhaps best of all is their reading of the Variations on a Slovak Theme which manages to capture both the music's pungency and expressive depth...Altogether an enormously impressive disc.” (BBC Music Magazine)

Martinu:
Sonatas for Cello & Piano Nos. 1-3
Variations on a Slovak folksong for Cello & Piano, H. 378
Variations on a Theme of Rossini


Paul Watkins, cello
Huw Watkins, piano



BOHUSLAV MARTINU (1890-1959)
Sonata No. 1, H 277 (1939)
for Cello and Piano
À Pierre Fournier
I Poco allegro - Allegro - Tempo I - Allegro - Moderato
II Lento - Meno
III Allegro con brio - Poco meno - Tempo I - Più meno
Variations on a Slovak Theme, H 378 (1959)
for Cello and Piano
Rubato -
Thème. Poco andante, rubato -
Variation I. Moderato -
Variation II. Poco allegro -
Variation III. Moderato -
Variation IV. Scherzo, allegretto - Poco andante -
Variation V. Allegro
Sonata No. 2, H 286 (1941)
for Cello and Piano
To Frank Rybka
I Allegro
II Largo
III Allegro commodo - Poco meno - Tempo I - Cadenza - Allegro
Variations on a Theme of Rossini, H 290 (1942)
in D major - in D-Dur - en ré majeur
for Cello and Piano
To Gregor Piatigorsky
Poco allegro -
[Theme.] Allegro moderato -
Variation I. Poco allegro -
Variation II. Poco più allegro -
Variation III. Andante -
Variation IV. Allegro - Vivo -
Moderato maestoso
Sonata No. 3 , H 340 (1952)
in C major - in C-Dur - en ut majeur
for Cello and Piano
In memory of Hans Kindler
I Poco andante - Moderato - Poco vivo - Allegro - Poco meno - Allegro vivo -
II Andante
III Allegro (ma non Presto) - Poco vivo

Paul Watkins
Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career both as concerto soloist and chamber musician. Born in 1970, he studied with William Pleeth, Melissa Phelps and Johannes Goritzki, and at the age of 20 was appointed Principal Cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. During his solo career he has collaborated with world renowned conductors including Paavo Berglund, Leonard Slatkin, David Robertson, Sakari Oramo, Andrew Litton, Gianandrea Noseda, Sir Mark Elder, Vernon Handley, Richard Hickox, Sir Andrew Davis and Sir Charles Mackerras. He performs regularly with all the major British orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia and City of Birmingham Symphony. He has made six concerto appearances at the BBC Proms, most recently in a televised performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto at the First Night of the Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jiří Bělohlávek and recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon.

He made his concerto debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of chief conductor Yakov Kreizberg, and has performed with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Queensland Orchestra, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, and the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Turin. He has toured to Italy and Prague with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and to China and the Far East with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Forthcoming highlights in 2010/11 include his debut at Carnegie Hall performing Brahms’ Double Concerto with Daniel Hope, as well as concerto appearances with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. In 2012/13 he will premiere a concerto written for him by Mark-Anthony Turnage with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic, Royal Flemish Philharmonic and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.

A dedicated chamber musician, Watkins has been a member of the Nash Ensemble since 1997. He regularly performs with the world’s finest musicians, including Menahem Pressler, Jaime Laredo, Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff and Vadim Repin. He has given recitals at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, De Doelen in Rotterdam, the Wigmore Hall, South Bank Centre, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and Queens Hall, Edinburgh. In the 2010/11 season he will appear at the Wigmore Hall with Leila Josefowicz, Steven Osborne and Michael Collins.

Huw Watkins
Highly regarded as a performer of contemporary and twentieth-century music, Huw Watkins studied piano at Chetham’s School of Music and composition at Cambridge University and the Royal College of Music. He has premièred works by Alexander Goehr, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Michael Zev Gordon, and John Woolrich. Working regularly with Britten Sinfonia, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and BBC Symphony Orchestra, he also performs as a duo partner with many fine musicians. His discography includes recordings of Alexander Goehr’s Symmetry Disorders Reach, a cycle of fifteen solo piano pieces, and Thomas Adès’s song cycle The Lover in Winter with the counter-tenor Robin Blaze. His compositions have been commissioned, performed, and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, English Chamber Orchestra, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Nash Ensemble, Music Theatre Wales, and the Belcea and Petersen string quartets. Huw Watkins is Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music and Jerwood Associate Composer with Music Theatre Wales.

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