Also with Wendy Warner on Cedille Records “One runs out of superlatives for “[Pine and Warner] possess both a CD such as this. It is a joy to power and warmth. Their hear [these pieces] played with such collaboration already represents a compelling mixture of discipline, musicianship of mature insight, intelligence and excitement. [Pine] hair-raising electricity, and intense and Warner[‘s] . electric playing involvement. Unhesitatingly puts this CD in a class of its own.” recommended.” – International Record Review – Fanfare To my teachers Kalman and Nell Novak Wendy Warner Plays Popper & Piatigorsky — Wendy Warner Producer: Judith Sherman David Popper (1843–1913) Gregor Piatigorsky (1903–1976) Engineer: Bill Maylone Suite for Cello and Piano, Variations on a Paganini Theme (1946) (16:07)* Op. 69 (27:30) Session Director: James Ginsburg bo Theme (0:29) Recorded August 27–31, 2007 (Popper Op. 11 and Op. 69) and June 26–27, 2008 1 I. Allegro giojoso (10:37) bp Variation 1 (Pablo Casals) (1:09) (Popper Op. 50 and Piatigorsky) in the Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio, 2 II. Tempo di Menuetto (6:07) bq WFMT, Chicago Variation 2 (Paul Hindemith) (0:46) 3 III. Ballade (4:47) br Variation 3 (Raya Garbousova) (0:32) Cellos: Joseph Gagliano, 1772 (Popper Op. 11 and Op. 69); Carl Becker, 1963 (Popper Op. 50 and Piatigorsky) 4 IV. Finale (5:50) bs Variation 4 (Erica Morini) (0:46) bt Steinway Piano Piano Technician: Charles Terr Three Pieces, Op. 11 (12:31) Variation 5 (Felix Salmond) (1:05) cu Variation 6 (Joseph Szigeti) (1:26) Art Direction: Adam Fleishman / www.adamfleishman.com 5 Widmung (5:59) cl Variation 7 (Yehudi Menuhin) (0:52) Front Cover Photo by Oomphotography / www.oomphotography.com 6 Humoreske (2:42) cm Variation 8 (Nathan Milstein) (0:35) 7 Mazurka (3:44) Cedille Records is a trademark of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a not-for-profit cn Variation 9 (Fritz Kreisler) (1:20) foundation devoted to promoting the finest musicians and ensembles in the Chicago area. Im Walde, Op. 50 (23:02) co Variation 10 (self-portrait) (0:33) The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation’s activities are supported in part by contributions cp Variation 11 (Gaspar Cassado) (0:57) and grants from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government agencies including 8 No. 1 Eintritt (6:05) the Alphawood Foundation, Irving Harris Foundation, Kirkland & Ellis Foundation, The cq Variation 12 (Mischa Elman) (1:37) 9 No. 2 Gnomentanz (3:30) MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, NIB Foundation, Negaunee Foundation, Sage cr Variation 13 (Ennio Bolognini) (1:19) Foundation, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs (CityArts III Grant), and the Illinois Arts bu No. 3 Andacht (5:25) cs Variation 14 (Jascha Heifetz) (0:59) Council, a state agency. bl No. 4 Reigen (2:36) ct Tempo di Marcia (Vladimir Horowitz) (1:35) Contributions to The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation may be made bm No. 5 Herbstblume (1:58) at www.cedillerecords.org or 773-989-2515. bn No. 6 Heimkehr (3:13) *©1946 Elkan-Vogel, Inc. CEDILLE RECORDS trademark of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation 5255 N. Lakewood Ave, Chicago IL 60640 USA Wendy Warner, cello Total Time: (79:30) 773.989.2515 tel - 773.989.2517 fax WWW.CEDILLERECORDS.ORG Eileen Buck, piano CDR 90000 111 P & C 2009 Cedille Records All Rights Reserved. Made in U.S.A 2 3 Music by Cellist Composers hadn’t been developed during Liszt’s older master’s most famous students: Popper was an accomplished melodist, The Virtuoso as Creator lifetime (1811–1886), his legend survived pianist-composer Sophie Menter. and his themes allow the cello to sing into quasi-modern times from accounts Popper came to the cello by a sort of with a most beautiful voice. Notes by Andrea Lamoreaux that identified him as THE great piano accident. The son of a Prague cantor, This CD contains three short Popper virtuoso of all time. he initially studied the violin, but when In the early years of the 19th century, recital pieces, plus two longer suites, he went to the Prague Conservatory Niccolo Paganini wowed audiences Liszt had major impact beyond his one descriptive in the tradition of 19th- at the age of 12, the school had too throughout Europe with his superb pianistic pyrotechnics. He composed century program music, the other more many aspiring violinists and not enough violin technique, augmented by for orchestra as well as for piano, abstract, leaning toward the tradition cellists; so he was assigned to the cello, an innate knack for showmanship. pioneering the genre of the symphonic of the cello-piano sonata. Popper’s Op. and within a few years was regularly Paganini’s sold-out recitals featured his poem, moving away from traditional 69 Suite for Cello and Piano opens with substituting for the official cello own compositions and arrangements, compositional procedures such a movement titled “Allegro giojoso,” professor. He went on to lead the cello the latter often based on popular opera as sonata form, and constantly which should mean Lively and Joking. sections of several orchestras, including arias. Each program was calculated to experimenting with harmony (some It’s really more rhapsodic than it is joking. the Vienna Philharmonic, but his solo display his special skills on the violin. of his late piano scores push the In it we hear the composer’s fondness career eventually took precedence. And thus were born twin traditions: bounds of tonality). Wagner was much for chromatic harmonies, wide-ranging Popper wrote a teaching method those of the virtuoso solo recital and of influenced by Liszt, or it might better be melodies, and full chords. The virtuoso and a great many compositions for the composer-virtuoso. said that they influenced each other. As element is strong for both players; the cello: four concertos, an instrumental a composer-virtuoso Liszt left a legacy full range of each instrument is skillfully Inspired by Paganini’s success, Franz Requiem featuring three soloists, and to succeeding generations, inspiring exploited. The structure is a basic A-B-A Liszt adapted the idiom to his own several recital pieces with piano. Later talented players to develop the progression. For the second movement, instrument, the piano, and achieved generations have tended to sneer at potential of their instruments to create Popper takes us back to the 18th century even greater triumphs. Many musicians these last works as “salon pieces,” yet both new music and successful careers. with a “Tempo di Minuetto.” Where the and music-lovers who heard Liszt they are most enjoyable to hear. They One of these was David Popper. first movement was cast in a compound survived into the 20th century and show off the instrument’s sonority to meter, 9/8, this one is in the standard 3/4 passed on to their students, friends, Popper was a Liszt protégé as well as great advantage, give interest (and time that Haydn would have used for and descendants first-hand accounts an influencee; Liszt appointed him to challenges) to the pianist, and are full the minuet movement of a symphony. of his brilliant bravura and ability to the faculty of the National Hungarian of the rich, close, tonal-yet-chromatic A simple opening melody is quickly transform the keyboard into a virtual Royal Academy of Music in 1886, and harmonies favored by Liszt, Wagner, enhanced with chromatic tones and orchestra. So even though recording he was briefly married to one of the and their followers. Furthermore, 4 5 brief shifts away from the basic D Major passages in 16th notes that contribute The German word “Widmung” Im Walde, Op. 50, is Popper’s six- tonality. There’s a soft Trio section with to the movement’s sense of forward- means Dedication; it’s the title of one movement suite evoking forest scenes an elaborate cello theme, mostly in 16th rushing intensity. A Molto tranquillo (very of Schumann’s most famous songs, and moods. Originally scored for cello notes; the return of the Minuet theme peaceful) passage lightens the mood and Popper’s piece is a song without and orchestra, in its reduced version is marked Grazioso (Gracefully), a word and the texture before the opening words subtitled Adagio for Cello and it requires the pianist to call forth an that sums up the entire movement to thematic material returns. The cello Piano. The key is F Major, the pace almost symphonic sonority via chordal perfection. part, with staccato chords in the piano, slow and heartfelt; from an intensely passages, tremolo chords, vivid accents, becomes almost like an accompanied lyrical opening the sounds become and strong octaves. Both cello and It’s a strong contrast to the evocative cadenza passage in a cello concerto. more impassioned, the emotions piano are given ecstatic, long-breathed “Ballade” that follows. An Adagio in the The piano also has some brief solos, ever more agitated, until a pianissimo melodies and mostly cheerful-sounding key of F-Sharp Minor, this movement but for the next return of the main ending evokes a peace tinged with harmonies (this is for the most part a negates the genial mood of what has theme the players perform together. sadness. “Humoreske” is what it sunlit forest). “Eintritt” (Entrance), in come before with dramatic chords and A low, fortissimo cello note over a implies. The cello dances with staccato, E-Flat Major, gives us another taste of tremolos in the piano part, while the complicated piano run diminishes in accented figures augmented by octave the chromatic-tinged harmonies Popper cello presents a wandering succession volume to pianissimo as we come to the passages for the piano.