A Little French Cello
A charming collection from the rich French school of the late nineteenth century. Cello sonority and piano clarity make the programme both approachable and moving. Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid are masters of their art.
Nadia Boulanger composer
Gabriel Fauré composer
Ernest Chausson composer
Jean Huré composer
A. Roelens arranger
Léon Roques arranger
F. Ronchini arranger
Michael Staudt arranger
This recording began when Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid read through a pile of music that had sat unplayed on Zoe’s shelf for decades. They fell quickly for these French pieces, and the programme almost assembled itself. They even recorded more than they needed and cut a short work by Mompou – who, luckily, turned out to be from Barcelona.
The duo debuted at Melbourne Recital Centre in 2009. Since then they have released three Move discs (Mendelssohn Cello, Argentine Cello and Beethoven Cello), appeared in the ABC Sunday Live series and Saturday Sessions, and performed at the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival and across regional Victoria.
Reviews
The cello's sonorous and expressive tone is suited to French music. Zoé Knighton and Amir Farid here present music written or arranged for the cello by French composers. Its romanticism is played with style and sensitivity to the melodic and harmonic nuances. Knighton's even tone throughout the registers matches the rich yet delicate sound of Farid's stylistic and virtuosic accompaniments.
Artists
Zoe Knighton
Zoe Knighton is at the forefront of a new generation of performers intent on forging an innovative path for the enjoyment of classical music. A founding member of Flinders Quartet, she is a leading Melbourne cellist and chamber musician.
Amir Farid
Amir Farid has been described as a highly creative musician – a pianist of great intelligence and integrity who brings strong musical substance to all that he does, imbuing it with his own experience and understanding, and who distinguishes himself for all the right reasons.
Audio previews
Tracks
- Suite bergamasque, L 75 Clair de lune Claude Debussy Arr: A. Roelens 5:20
- Printemps, L 61 Claude Debussy Arr: Léon Roques 7:18
- Rêverie, L 68 Claude Debussy Arr: F. Ronchini 5:22
- No. 1 in E flat minor – Modéré 2:54
- No. 2 in A minor – Sans vitesse et à l'aise 1:40
- No. 3 in C sharp minor – Vite et nerveusement rythmé 2:57
- Les berceaux (Cradles), Op. 23 No. 1 Gabriel Fauré Arr: Michael Staudt 2:40
- Sylvie, Op. 6 No. 3 Gabriel Fauré Arr: Michael Staudt 3:16
- Au bord de l'eau, Op. 8 No. 1 Gabriel Fauré Arr: Michael Staudt 2:06
- Toujours, Op. 21 No. 2 Gabriel Fauré Arr: Michael Staudt 1:35
- Pièce, Op. 39 (1897) for violoncello and piano in C major Ernest Chausson 8:37
- Sonata in F-sharp minor Jean Huré 23:34
- Prologue: Lent, sostenuto e molto risoluto 5:00
- Sérénade: Modérément animé 3:32
- Finale: Animé, léger et nerveux 3:46
Trois Pièces Nadia Boulanger
Sonata for Violoncello and Piano (1915), L 135 Claude Debussy
Performers
Composers
Ernest Chausson
Ernest Chausson (1855–1899) was a French Romantic composer. His chamber and concert works, marked by lyrical intensity, include the celebrated violin Poème.
Claude Debussy
Claude Debussy (1862–1918) was a French composer whose harmony, colour and flexible sense of key reshaped European music at the turn of the twentieth century. Piano, orchestral and chamber works from his maturity remain central to the repertoire.
Gabriel Fauré
Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924) was a French composer, pianist, organist and teacher whose music links late Romanticism with early modernism. His best-known works include the Requiem, the Pavane, and a large body of songs and piano music.
Léon Roques
Léon Roques (1839–1923) was a French composer, accompanist and transcriber, remembered above all for chamber and keyboard arrangements of late Romantic and early twentieth-century French music.
Contributors
Photography
Sarah Walker
Liner notes
Zoe Knighton
Zoe Knighton is at the forefront of a new generation of performers intent on forging an innovative path for the enjoyment of classical music. A founding member of Flinders Quartet, she is a leading Melbourne cellist and chamber musician.
Where to listen
A Little French Cello is available for streaming through Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.
A Little French Cello is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.
Product details
- Catalogue number
- MD 3367
- List price
- $25.00 AUD
- Total playing time
- 79 minutes 37 seconds
- Editing Engineer
- Blake Stickland
Vaughan McAlley - Mastering Engineer
- Martin Wright
- Venue
- Move Records Studio
- Credit
- Sarah Walker
Zoe Knighton - Release date
- 4 Sep 2013
- Musical work
copyright - © 2013 Move Records
- Sound recording
copyright - ℗ 2013 Move Records
- Category
- Classical
- Genre
- Romantic & Impressionist
- Barcode
- EAN 9314574336726
Related recordings
Brahms Cello
Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid present their seventh cello–piano collaboration, turning to Johannes Brahms. The programme pairs his two cello sonatas with three songs in which the cello takes the vocal line wordlessly.
Schumann Cello
Cellist Zoe Knighton and pianist Amir Farid continue their partnership in a programme of short works by Clara and Robert Schumann, pairing song transcriptions with chamber pieces for cello and piano.
Bach Cello
Debate still rages over the origins and purpose of Bach’s cello suites. Were they written for court cellists Christian Ferdinand Abel and Christian Bernhard Linke, for the unusual violoncello da spalla, or as progressive exercises for Bach himself?
Northern Cello
Music for cello from northern European composers. Zoe Knighton and pianist Ian Munro centre the programme on Grieg’s romantic sonata, with Sibelius’s Op. 78 pieces, Vasks’s solo Gramata Cellam and Pärt’s Fratres.
Russian Cello
Enter the world of Russia. Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid present unknown works alongside much-loved classics. The recording celebrates a romanticism in composition inspired by the combination of cello and piano.
Beethoven Cello
Cellists often bemoan the lack of a cello concerto by Beethoven – and rightly so, but these eight works for cello and piano are the envy of many other instruments. The complete cello sonatas and variations of Beethoven are here on this two-CD set.
Argentine Cello
More than Piazzolla alone: seven Argentine composers shape a cello-and-piano programme of tango, pampas colour and lyric nationalism, played by Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid.
Mendelssohn Cello
Mendelssohn is often cast as a composer who lived a charmed life, and whose music therefore lacks depth. The glory of that music, its likeability, and his gift for celebrating humanity remain primary reasons for its lasting hold.