Marharyta – Cello and Veronika Dorosh – Bandura from The Ukraine
The Sonata in D minor for Cello and Piano, dated 1913-1917, by F Bridge is a two-movement work in which the second movement displays Bridge’s great despair over the futility of war and the general state of the world. Marked by his usual technical fastidiousness and unerring taste, the Cello Sonata features the chromaticism of the slow section and the aggressive tonal and bi-tonal colors in the scherzo. – Jane Erb
Evening Has Fallen by Didenko
This piece of music is an arrangement of a Ukrainian folk love song, created by D. Didenko.
Evening has fallen, the night softly nears,
Come out, my dearest, my heart draws you near.
The sky, so clear, now filled with stars,
Come to me, love, no matter how far.
Let me gaze into your bright shining eyes,
Hold your slender figure as the night sighs.
To see your face, so fair and divine,
Your long braided hair, and brows that shine.
Blacksmiths by Ihor Haidenko
Ihor Haidenko is a talented Ukrainian composer and musician who mixes traditional and modern music. His piece ‘Kovali’ is known for its lively energy and deep meaning, reflecting the hard work and daily struggles of Ukrainian blacksmiths.
The Romance for Cello and Piano, written in 1896 by F Delius, is a flow of ever-emerging phrases that becomes even more pleasant to the ear with its richness on chromatic harmony. It is written in B major (5 sharps). Why? There is a meaning to choosing a tonality with 5 sharps. Its mood. People, especially those who have perfect pitch, are able to distinguish the mood of different keys. Schubert wrote a book about this, in which he characterized B major as “cheerful love, clear conscience, hope and aspiration for a better world”. That is what many originally feel, not understanding why. The first note is not a tonic – it is the 7# note of the scale that starts the piece. It is the tension, built up to the middle of the bar and then resolved. The pitch is very low, almost the lowest on cello. Having these two factors combined, I feel like the first bar signifies that special wave of nervousness which goes from your neck through your chest to your legs, making the knees weaker, when you remember about your new love. Or, maybe, you’re standing in front of their door and are about to ring the doorbell. Its full opening, lento tranquillo, is only 23 bars long, but it’s filled with such intense mood swings! Sometimes, it becomes impossible to tell if the emotion expressed is rather positive or negative. Whenever a phrase is resolved, Delius doesn’t take long in order to move on to the next gesture. He only uses one beat most of the time, which is quite distinct and very important for my interpretation: I often find myself leaving my sequence of thoughts about a loved one almost abruptly because a new thought about them is knocking on the door of my consciousness, even a more exciting one, so I don’t have time to properly go through all of my ideas. Lots of accidentals – love is irrational.. Given all of the above, the piece is not too flowery. I can still see the clarity and order in it. True thoughts, true intentions. The phrases often expect a response, but the interlocutor is silent. – Marharyta Dorosh
Variations on a Theme of Rossini, by B Martinu is one of the first pieces that Martinů wrote during the American phase of his life. The work was dedicated to the great Russian-turned-American cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, and premiered in May of 1943. Light and somewhat mocking, it presents a witty dialogue between cello and piano. – Heifetz Institute of Music