Mozart & Beethoven: Violin & Cello Duets Boris Abramov & Carmine Miranda

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Duo for Violin & Viola in G Major, Op. 28 No. 1, K. 423 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello):
• 1 Duo for Violin & Viola in G Major, Op. 28 No. 1, K. 423 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello): I. Allegro 09:49
• 2 Duo for Violin & Viola in G Major, Op. 28 No. 1, K. 423 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello): II. Adagio 04:33
• 3 Duo for Violin & Viola in G Major, Op. 28 No. 1, K. 423 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello): III. Rondo. Allegro 05:12
• Duo for Violin & Viola in B-Flat Major, Op. 28 No. 2, K. 424 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello):
• 4 Duo for Violin & Viola in B-Flat Major, Op. 28 No. 2, K. 424 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello): I. Allegro 10:35
• 5 Duo for Violin & Viola in B-Flat Major, Op. 28 No. 2, K. 424 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello): II. Andante cantabile 03:25
• 6 Duo for Violin & Viola in B-Flat Major, Op. 28 No. 2, K. 424 (Arr. C. Miranda for Violin & Cello): III. Tema con variazioni. Andante grazioso - Allegretto - Allegro 08:28
• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in C Major, WoO 27 No. 1 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello):
• 7 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in C Major, WoO 27 No. 1 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): I. Allegro comodo 05:22
• 8 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in C Major, WoO 27 No. 1 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): II. Larghetto sostenuto 02:29
• 9 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in C Major, WoO 27 No. 1 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): III. Rondo. Allegretto 03:35
• Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in F Major, WoO 27 No. 2 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello):
• 10 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in F Major, WoO 27 No. 2 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): I. Allegro affettuoso 06:17
• 11 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in F Major, WoO 27 No. 2 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): II. Aria. Larghetto 02:19
• 12 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in F Major, WoO 27 No. 2 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): III. Rondo. Allegro moderato 02:49
• Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in B-Flat Major, WoO 27 No. 3 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello):
• 13 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in B-Flat Major, WoO 27 No. 3 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): I. Allegro sostenuto 06:14
• 14 Duo for Clarinet & Bassoon in B-Flat Major, WoO 27 No. 3 (Arr. F. Hermann for Violin & Cello): II. Aria con variazioni. Andantino con moto 02:25
• Total Runtime 01:13:32

Info for Mozart & Beethoven: Violin & Cello Duets

Award winning cellist Carmine Miranda and violinist Boris Abramov’s new Navona release Mozart / Beethoven: Violin and Cello Duets is an intimate gem of delightful chamber music from the Classical Period. Drawn from various duos by Beethoven and Mozart, this album is substantive, and showcases a wide stylistic breadth of late eighteenth century German instrumental music, from the sumptuous levity of the divertimento, to the full brilliance of sonata form. In this recording both performers balance concepts of classical performance, musical research and virtuosic dexterity combined with a high-definition audio engineering in order to create the most realistic sound and definitive version of these works. The pieces in this recording have never been paired together. Their unique styles, and carefully researched interpretations by Miranda and Abramov, create exceptional recordings with equal parts nuance and bravado.

The Beethoven arrangements come from a set for Clarinet and Bassoon composed without an opus number in the early 1790s. While Beethoven did not officially add these pieces to his catalog, the works rapidly became popular, and at least two widely distributed editions of the duos were published within his lifetime. Dating from the earliest part of Beethoven’s career, these pieces are consummately Classical, without showing much of the Romantic sturm und drang that define the two later stages of the composer’s oeuvre. With that said, the duos are utterly charming and dominated by graceful melodies and straightforward forms. They epitomize late eighteenth century chamber music.

The two Mozart duos, originally composed for violin and viola, are a “better-known” treasure among violinists and violists, particularly in their approach to the era’s most important musical structure: sonata form. Indeed, both duos open with the same structural premise Mozart, Haydn, and their contemporaries more commonly used at the beginning of symphonies, piano sonatas, and string quartets. In particular, the first movement of the Duo for Violin and Viola in B-flat Major, K. 424 is remarkable, and it may be one of Mozart’s most cleverly composed instances of sonata form.

The movement is wry and, frankly, humorous – a characteristic most easily heard in the exposition’s closing section and the very beginning of the development. Here, Mozart uses unusually long rests and unexpected elisions to interrupt and blur the straightforward demarcations between phrases, leading the listener to smile in surprise. This kind of compositional sarcasm is more commonly associated with the music of Joseph Haydn than Mozart, and – perhaps because Mozart composed this duo to complete a commission begun by Haydn’s brother, Michael – there are numerous harmonic and structural clues that suggest Mozart attempts to reference Haydn in the duo’s first movement.

Carmine Miranda, cello
Boris Abramov, violin

Carmine Miranda
Born in Valencia, Venezuela in 1988 to Italian immigrants and moving to the United States at an early age, Carmine Miranda is an American cellist, international soloist, and recording artist. Carmine attended the University Of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he obtained a Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate degrees. His performances and recordings have appeared in radio and TV stations all over the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Asia. An avid soloist and chamber musician, Carmine has received several awards, international recognition, and has performed in prominent music halls and festivals with orchestras, ensembles, and distinguished artists all over the world. At the age of twenty-two and twenty-three, Carmine recorded the Six Cello Suites by Johann Sebastian Bach and Alfredo Piatti’s 12 Caprices for Solo Cello, joining the ranks of the youngest in the world to record these entire works.

Boris Abramov
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1989 and immigrating to Israel at a young age, Israeli violinist and recording artist Boris Abramov has established himself as a virtuosic soloist and chamber musician, performing across the world with several chamber ensembles and orchestras. Boris is the recipient of several awards and prizes; including the National Winner of the 2008 MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Competition for strings in Denver CO and was awarded a special prize at the 2009 Pablo de Sarasate International Competition in Pamplona, Spain. He forms part of the violin faculty at the Columbus State University, Schwob School of Music in the United States, where he further immigrated and obtained his Bachelors, Masters and Artist Diploma degrees. Abramov has been heard on several radio broadcasts and international music festivals as a soloist and chamber musician.

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