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British Works For Cello & Piano, Vol. 4 / Watkins & Watkins
Chandos

British Works For Cello & Piano, Vol. 4 / Watkins & Watkins

$21.99

Details

Composer
LEIGHTON LUTYENS HODDINOTT
Artist
Paul Watkins
Format
CD
Label
Chandos
Released
Jun 30, 2015
Catalog #
CHAN 10862
UPC
095115186220

About

Sterling advocacy for four sonatas of the past century.

This brilliantly recorded disc showcases some works from the grittier side of British music from the second half of the 20th century. Each of the featured composers came under formative European influences: Kenneth Leighton studying with Petrassi in Rome, Elisabeth Lutyens deeply influenced by Schoenberg, Alun Hoddinott by Bartók and Richard Rodney Bennett by the Darmstadt school and Boulez. Such an awareness of continental styles infuses all the compositions with a tautly conceived sense of structure and an emphasis on linear dialogue between the two instruments.

Of course, little-known works need championing, and in this regard Paul and Huw Watkins prove formidable exponents, providing incisive and well-characterised readings that eloquently convey the atmosphere of each piece. The most emotionally elusive work in this programme is probably Lutyens’s Constants, which juxtaposes introspective moments with passages of more fervent declamation. In contrast, Leighton’s Partita is far more accessible, offering a greater range of invention cast in a similar vein to Britten’s later Cello Sonata in C major. The opening two movements set the scene: an impassioned, unsettled tonality infusing the Elegy, before it is swept away by the edgy rhythmic motifs of the scherzo. Perhaps, though, the most persuasive work comes from Bennett, whose fluent Sonata (1991) covers impressively varied ground, ranging from the fierce rhythmic outbursts of the third-movement Feroce, recalling Bartók, to the more reflective Allegretto leggero, with its washes of almost impressionistic colour—aided here by a tremendously vibrant performance and vivid production.

-- The Strad

Tracklist 19 tracks

  1. 1 I. Elegy 05:11
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Elegy
    Duration
    05:11
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  2. 2 II. Scherzo 04:12
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Scherzo
    Duration
    04:12
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  3. 3 III. Theme and Variations: Theme 02:06
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Theme
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  4. 4 III. Theme and Variations: Variation I: Allegro inquieto 00:44
    Track
    4
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Variation I: Allegro inquieto
    Duration
    00:44
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  5. 5 III. Theme and Variations: Variation II: Ostinato 01:20
    Track
    5
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Variation II: Ostinato
    Duration
    01:20
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  6. 6 III. Theme and Variations: Variation III: March 01:13
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Variation III: March
    Duration
    01:13
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  7. 7 III. Theme and Variations: Variation IV: Appassionato 01:05
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Variation IV: Appassionato
    Duration
    01:05
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  8. 8 III. Theme and Variations: Variation V: Waltz 01:28
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Variation V: Waltz
    Duration
    01:28
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  9. 9 III. Theme and Variations: Variation VI: Chorale 03:00
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Theme and Variations: Variation VI: Chorale
    Duration
    03:00
    Composer
    Kenneth Leighton
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  10. 10 I. Introduction - 05:02
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Introduction -
    Duration
    05:02
    Composer
    Elisabeth Lutyens
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  11. 11 II. Lament - 04:21
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Lament -
    Duration
    04:21
    Composer
    Elisabeth Lutyens
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  12. 12 III. Canticle 03:19
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Canticle
    Duration
    03:19
    Composer
    Elisabeth Lutyens
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  13. 13 I. Moderato 05:25
    Track
    13
    Title
    I. Moderato
    Duration
    05:25
    Composer
    Alun Hoddinott
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  14. 14 II. Adagio 04:53
    Track
    14
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    04:53
    Composer
    Alun Hoddinott
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  15. 15 III. Allegro 04:23
    Track
    15
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    04:23
    Composer
    Alun Hoddinott
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  16. 16 I. Allegro - Molto vivo 06:15
    Track
    16
    Title
    I. Allegro - Molto vivo
    Duration
    06:15
    Composer
    Richard Rodney Bennett
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  17. 17 II. Allegretto leggero - Lento 03:50
    Track
    17
    Title
    II. Allegretto leggero - Lento
    Duration
    03:50
    Composer
    Richard Rodney Bennett
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  18. 18 III. Feroce 03:16
    Track
    18
    Title
    III. Feroce
    Duration
    03:16
    Composer
    Richard Rodney Bennett
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins
  19. 19 IV. Andante 06:23
    Track
    19
    Title
    IV. Andante
    Duration
    06:23
    Composer
    Richard Rodney Bennett
    Performer
    Paul Watkins, Huw Watkins