Russian Legends (A short story of Russian Cello Music) Cheng² Duo

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953): Cinderella, Op. 87:
• 1 Cinderella, Op. 87: Adagio: The Prince and Cinderella, Op. 97bis / Op. 97a (Arranged for Cello and Piano by Mstislav Rostropovich) 04:59
• Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 119:
• 2 Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 119: I. Andante grave - Moderato Animato 11:12
• 3 Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 119: II. Moderato 05:02
• 4 Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 119: III. Allegro, ma non Troppo 08:25
• Alexander Glazunov (1865 - 1936):
• 5 Chant du ménestrel, Op. 71 / IAG 4 (Arranged for Cello and Piano by Alexander Glazunov) 03:53
• Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 - 1975): Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40:
• 6 Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40: I. Allegro non Troppo 11:51
• Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40:
• 7 Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40: II. Allegro 03:20
• 8 Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40: III. Largo 08:11
• 9 Sonata for Cello and Piano in D Minor, Op. 40: IV. Allegro 03:59
• Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893):
• 10 Pezzo capriccioso in B Minor, Op. 62 (Arranged for Cello and Piano by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) 06:40
• Anton Arensky (1861 - 1906): Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 12 / IAA 37:
• 11 Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 12 / IAA 37: I. Petite Ballade 03:05
• 12 Two Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 12 / IAA 37: II. Danse Capricieuse 04:09
• Alexander Scriabin (1871 - 1915):
• 13 Romance for Cello and Piano, IAS 74 02:03
• Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943): Lied (Romance) for Cello and Piano in F Minor:
• 14 Lied (Romance) for Cello and Piano in F Minor: Lentamente, molto Cantabile 02:18
• Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 / ISR 7:
• 15 Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 / ISR 7: I. Lento. Allegro moderato. Allegro Molto 13:43
• 16 Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 / ISR 7: II. Allegro Scherzando 06:37
• 17 Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 / ISR 7: III. Andante 06:05
• 18 Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19 / ISR 7: IV. Allegro Mosso 11:27
• Sergei Rachmaninov:
• 19 14 Romances, Op. 34 / ISR 55: XIV. Vocalise. Lentamente (Arranged for Cello and Piano by Sergei Rachmaninov) 06:17
• Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 / TH 111 / IPT 118:
• 20 String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 / TH 111 / IPT 118: II. Andante Cantabile (Arranged for Cello and Piano by Cheng² Duo) 06:59
• Total Runtime 02:10:15

Info for Russian Legends (A short story of Russian Cello Music)

Das Cheng² Duo wendet sich mit seinem dritten audite-Album dem russischen Repertoire zu. Im Mittelpunkt stehen die drei großen Sonaten für Violoncello und Klavier von Schostakowitsch, Rachmaninow und Prokofjew, denen eine Reihe kürzerer Werke gegenübergestellt werden. Bryan und Silvie Cheng erzählen damit auch eine Geschichte der Cellomusik in Russland.

Nach spanischer und französischer Musik wendet sich das Cheng² Duo mit seinem dritten audite-Album dem russischen Repertoire zu.

Von einem „Ereignis herber, strenger, doch auch träumerischer Schönheit" schrieb die Süddeutsche Zeitung im Zusammenhang mit Bryan und Silvie Chengs letzter CD mit Werken spanischer Musik. Und lobte weiter die Interpretation der Geschwister als „so idiomatisch richtig, dass einem durchaus heiß werden kann." Im Mittelpunkt der neuen Doppel-CD stehen die drei großen Sonaten für Cello und Klavier von Dmitri Schostakowitsch, Sergei Rachmaninow und Sergei Prokofjew. Ihnen stellt das Cheng² Duo eine Reihe von kurzen Stücken zur Seite: von Anton Arenski, Pjotr Tschaikowsky, Alexander Glasunow. Mit diesem umfassenden Programm erzählen die beiden Musiker nicht zuletzt eine Geschichte der Cellomusik in Russland, die begann, als Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts in Sankt Petersburg und Moskau die großen Konservatorien gegründet wurden.

Cheng² Duo

Cheng² Duo
Rooted by a sibling bond that transcends the familial, the Cheng² Duo (pronounced Cheng Squared Duo) transfixes listeners through its impassioned expressivity and contagious joy—critics have hailed their performances as “brilliant” (The Sunday Times, UK), “truly exhilarating” (The WholeNote, Canada), and “absolutely captivating…through a tremendous mastery of their instruments” (Pizzicato Magazine, Luxembourg). ​

Cellist Bryan Cheng, prizewinner of the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition and Verbier Festival’s coveted Prix Yves Paternot, and pianist Silvie Cheng, 2022-23 Cecilia Concerts Musician-in-Residence and National Arts Club Artist Fellow, have been making music together for nearly their entire lives. Since officially forming the Cheng² Duo at their 2011 Carnegie Weill Recital Hall debut, their artistry has left lasting impressions across the globe, with extensive tours to illustrious concert halls and international festivals throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South Africa.

In the 2023/24 season, the duo will appear as guest soloists with the Banatul Philharmonic (Romania), embark on multi-week tours in Canada and South Africa, and present recitals in Switzerland and the US. Recent highlights include recitals at the Frauenkirche Dresden, Flagey (Brussels), Munich Künstlerhaus, California Center for the Arts, Dame Myra Hess Series (Chicago), Chamber Music at the Clark (Los Angeles), Harvard University (Cambridge), Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (Kingston), Orford Musique, Salle Bourgie (Montréal), Palais Montcalm (Québec), as well as Chamberfest Cheboygan, Ottawa Chamberfest, and Toronto Summer Music Festivals. Past performances and interviews have been broadcast on CBC Radio, ICI Musique, Radio-Canada International, Vermont Public Radio, WCRB Classical Music Boston, WCNY Classic FM, Kulturradio RBB and Südwestrundfunk (SWR2) Germany, ORF Austria, and Classical Radio Orpheus (Moscow). ​

In the vanguard of creative programming, Bryan and Silvie are equally committed to presenting traditional masterworks, rediscovering neglected repertoire, and championing the music of their time. Since 2013, they have commissioned and arranged 15 new works, as well as curated cross-disciplinary concert experiences that meld classical and contemporary music with jazz, poetry, and visual/media arts. World-class collaborative partners have included photographer and cinematographer Edward Burtynsky, Mercury Films, and multimedia studio Normal. ​

Cheng² Duo has previously released a trilogy of critically-acclaimed albums on the German label audite: Russian Legends (2019), Violonchelo del fuego (2018), and Violoncelle français (2016). Born in Ottawa and Tokyo to Chinese parents, Bryan and Silvie are proud Canadians who are currently based in Berlin and New York City.

Booklet for Russian Legends (A short story of Russian Cello Music)