Nelson Goerner | piano
Sol Gabetta | cello

In addition to a great fondness for the chamber music repertoire, which they perform regularly and enthusiastically, they are also united by the spirit of their native Argentina. Nelson Goerner, who reigns supreme in Chopin and Debussy, belongs to that class of discreet and charming pianists. For her part, Sol Gabetta, “the burning flame of the cello,” according to Le Monde, has carved out a fine reputation for herself as a recitalist and soloist which has paved the way for her to work with leading formations in concert halls worldwide. On the programme this evening are the rare Variations concertantes by Mendelssohn, and the first and highly melodic Brahms Sonata for Cello and Piano

which is sometimes dubbed the “Pastoral”. To round off the evening, there is that undeniable masterpiece of the 19^th century chamber music repertoire – the Sonata for Violon and Piano by César Franck, performed tonight in its cello transcription. There have been many arrangements of this work, but the exceptional and beautifully sonorous version for cello received the composer’s blessing. Cellist Jules Delsart, who heard the sonata performed in Paris in 1887, was so enthusiastic that he asked the composer’s permission to transcribe the violin part for his instrument. Delsart stayed true to the original; he did not alter the piano part and only transposed the violin part into a lower register when it was necessary and appropriate.

Coréalisation Piano**** / Théâtre des Champs-Elysées