Schumann, Cassadó, Fauré & Rachmaninoff: Works for Cello Denis Severin

• Gaspar Cassadó (1897 - 1966): Cello Sonata in the Old Spanish Style (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble):
• 1 Cello Sonata in the Old Spanish Style (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): I. Introduzione e Allegro 04:45
• 2 Cello Sonata in the Old Spanish Style (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): II. Grave e maestoso 05:33
• 3 Cello Sonata in the Old Spanish Style (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): III. Danza con variazioni 06:34
• Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924):
• 4 Romance in A Major, Op. 69 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble) 04:03
• 5 Sicilienne, Op. 78 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble) 04:15
• Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble):
• 6 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): No. 1, Vanitas vanitatum 03:03
• 7 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): No. 2, Langsam 03:53
• 8 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): No. 3, Nicht schnell, mit viel Ton zu spielen 04:18
• 9 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): No. 4, Nicht zu rasch 02:03
• 10 5 Stücke im Volkston, Op. 102 (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble): No. 5, Stark und markirt 03:05
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943):
• 11 14 Romances, Op. 34: No. 14, Vocalise (Arr. M. Krill for Cello & Chamber Ensemble) 06:01
• Total Runtime 47:33

Info for Schumann, Cassadó, Fauré & Rachmaninoff: Works for Cello

For many years Denis Severin has been mulling over the idea of recording a Romantic programme for cello and string orchestra. After all a large numbers of concertos for cello and strings were written in the Baroque era. Many such compositions were written in the Classical era as well. Here are just a few names: the age of Romanticism gave birth to a lot of charming examples of concertos for cello and large symphony orchestra, including the works of Dvořák, Saint-Saëns, Lalo, Elgar and others. For reasons that we can no longer ascertain, the composers of the Romantic era, with a few rare exceptions, wrote little or no material for cello and string orchestra.

The choice of works for this album is quite deliberate. It occurred, that the compositional style of Robert Schumann, the Romantic composer par excellence, tends in his chamber music towards almost orchestral fullness and complexity of timbre, be it in his piano trios, duo sonatas or Lieder. The Five Pieces in Folk Style, op.102, by Robert Schumann, his sole original work for cello and piano, is, in his view, well suited to be performed with a chamber orchestra and I commissioned an arrangement. This first successful venture inspired Denis Severin to do further research, which confirmed my intentions.

Denis Severin, cello
Camerata Franconia
Dorian Keilhack, conductor

Denis Severin
is a professor of cello at the Geneva University of Music and the Bern University of Arts(Switzerland), where he teaches cello as a major, baroque cello as a minor and chamber music.

A coveted guest professor, he also teaches master classes and leads orchestra projects at the Centro superior de musical Katarina Gurska (Madrid, Spain), the Jāzeps Vītols Academy of Music (Riga, Latvia), the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing, China), Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest, Hungary) and the National University of Arts (Kharkov, Ukraine).

Regularly gives summer master-classes in Germany, France, Poland, Russia, Georgia and Brazil. Denis Severin is Prize Winner of ECHO KLASSIK (2015) and GRAMMY AWARDS (2007), laureate of several international competitions in Greece, Italy and Spain.

Denis Severin serves as a jury member for a number of music competitions: International Chamber Music Competition (Illzach, France, March 2013), 7th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians (Monteux, Switzerland, March 2012) and Young Swiss Musicians Competition.

He also became president of an international charitable organization Art Without Borders and an organizing committee member of the European String Teachers Association.

Performs as a soloist with: European Youth Symphony Orchestra (EU), Basel Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Switzerland), “Feel Harmony” Chamber Orchestra Poznan (Poland), State Symphony Orchestra, Kiew Chamber Orchestra (Ukraine), St. Petersburg State Capella Orchestra, Archangel State Chamber Orchestra (Russia), Armenian State Chamber Orchestra.

D. Severin is member of diverses chamber music and baroque ensembles: Spyros Piano Trio, Swiss Baroque Soloists, Les Solostes de Geneve (Switzerland), Ars Antiqua Austria, Wiener-Akademie (Austria), Ensemble Baroque de Limoges (France), Capella Gabetta, Harmonie Universelle (Germany), The Russian Virtuosi of Europe (London, England).

Collaborates with many of the greatest names in contemporary classical music. Those are artists and ensembles like Quatuor Mosaïques, Natalia Gutman, Christophe Coin, Sergio Azzolini, Jordi Savall, Christopher Hogwood, Cecila Bartoli, Antonio Meneses, Martin Haselböck, Heinz Holliger, Bartek Niziol, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Sol Gabetta.

Denis Severin performs at festivals and concerts held in some of the most prestigious venues around the globe, among which are Queen Elizabeth Hall (London, England), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Musikverein Wien (Austria), Konzerthaus Berlin (Germany), Philharmonic Society Concert Hall (Prague, Czech Republic), Cité de la Misique, Radio France Concert Hall (Paris, France), Victoria Hall, Tonhalle Zurich (Switzerland), Lutoslawski Concert Hall (Warsaw, Poland), National Philarmonic Kiew (Ukraine) and many others.

In 1996 Denis Severin graduated from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where he studied under professor Dmitry Miller.

1997-2003 continued his education under professor Daniel Grossgurin at the Geneva University of Music, professor Thomas Demenga at the Music Academy of Basel and professor Christophe Coin at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Switzerland).

He also attended master classes of such professors as Janos Starker, Natalia Gutman, Antonio Meneses, Anner Bylsma, Truls Monk and Garry Hoffman.

Booklet for Schumann, Cassadó, Fauré & Rachmaninoff: Works for Cello