Rachmaninoff: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19, Two Pieces for Cello and Piano Op. 2 & Trio Élégiaque No. 1 - Shalygin: “Tristissima” for Cello and Piano Ella van Poucke & Caspar Vos

• Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943): Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19:
• 1 Rachmaninov: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19: I. Lento - Allegro moderato 14:30
• 2 Rachmaninov: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19: II. Allegro scherzando 06:40
• 3 Rachmaninov: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19: III. Andante 06:14
• 4 Rachmaninov: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19: IV. Allegro mosso 11:38
• Two Pieces for Cello and Piano Op. 2:
• 5 Rachmaninov: Two Pieces for Cello and Piano Op. 2: I. Prélude in F Major 03:59
• 6 Rachmaninov: Two Pieces for Cello and Piano Op. 2: II. Danse Orientale in A Minor 06:08
• Trio Élégiaque No. 1:
• 7 Rachmaninov: Trio Élégiaque No. 1 14:12
• Maxim Shalygin (b. 1985): “Tristissima” for Cello and Piano:
• 8 Shalygin: “Tristissima” for Cello and Piano 09:12
• Total Runtime 01:12:33

Info for Rachmaninoff: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19, Two Pieces for Cello and Piano Op. 2 & Trio Élégiaque No. 1 - Shalygin: “Tristissima” for Cello and Piano

Rachmaninov's ten chamber works, two of them left incomplete, all date from his late teens or early twenties. The 2 Pieces, Op 2 - Prélude and Danse orientale for cello and piano – date from 1891-2.

The most widely performed of Rachmaninov's chamber compositions is the Cello Sonata. Rachmaninov completed this sonata in November 1901. On 2nd December the composer and the celebrated cellist Anatoly Brandukov, to whom the work is dedicated, gave the premiere in Moscow. Rachmaninov's sonata is a gem of the cello-sonata repertoire.

The first of Rachmaninov's two works entitled Trio élégiaque is believed to date from 1890-1. The manuscript bears the dates 18-21 January 1892, but it has been suggested that this probably refers to a late revision which he made before the premiere that month. Though the work of a teenager, this single-movement trio has some characteristic touches which anticipate Rachmaninov's mature style, while the confident piano-writing reflects his burgeoning virtuosity The influence of Tchaikovsky upon Rachmaninov's trio is evident.

The Ukrainian-Dutch composer Maxim Shalygin was born in Kamianske in 1985. He composed his Tristissima for Ella van Poucke. Shalygin has commented: “Certainly this is an unacceptable beauty today, one that can be on the borderline of vulgarity, while at the same time opening us up to some feelings that we often shy away from ourselves.”

Ella van Poucke, cello
Caspar Vos, piano
Niek Baar, viloin

Ella van Poucke
Born in Amsterdam in 1994, she is one of the leading cellists of her generation. Praised for her musical integrity, flawless instrumental abilities as well as her performing presence and intensity, the 28 year old Dutch cellist belongs to the top rank of today’s generation of cellists. She is the winner of the prestigious Premio Chigiana 2017, the first prize winner of the International Isang Yun cello competition 2015, Grachtenfestival Prize, the Leopoldinum Award 2015, Prix Nicolas Firmenich 2013, Elisabeth Everts Award 2014, Prix Academie Maurice Ravel 2012, Dutch Musician of the Year 2012, first prize winner of the 2008 Princess Christina Competition and recipient of the special prize in “recognition of an outstanding performance at the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann 2014.

After making her debut at the Concertgebouw at the age of 10 she has been performing in all the major halls of the Netherlands, in many top halls in Europe and in the U.S and Asia.

As a soloist Ella has performed with the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, HR-Sinfonie Orchester, Brussels Philharmonic, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Rotterdam Philharmonic Strings, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Orchestre della Toscana, Noord Nederlands Orkest, Havana Youth Orchestra, Varsovia Chamber Orchestra, Symfonie Orchestra of Vlaanderen Polish Chamber Orchestra, Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Hamburger Camerata, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra and collaborated with artists as Michael Sanderling and Christoph Eschenbach among others.

In November 2012 she premiered a new cello concerto, which was written for her by the Finnish composer Uljas Pulkkis during the International Cello Biennale in Amsterdam. In September 2013 she premiered the same work in Germany at the Kronberg Festival, with members of the HR-Sinfonie Orchester Frankfurt. Ella regularly appears on Dutch Radio and Television and has performed for ARTE TV in Germany and France. She appeared in Germany’s “Stars von Morgen” hosted by Rolando Villazon.

As a passionate chamber musician Ella has performed with Andras Schiff, Gary Hoffman, Nobuko Imai, Tabea Zimmermann, Christian Tetzlaff, Viviane Hagner, Gidon Kremer, Colin Carr, Pavel Vernikov, Andreas Reiner, Vilde Frang, Simone Lamsma, Christiaan Bor, Philippe Graffin, Prazak quartet, Schumann quartett among many others. Since many years she regularly performs in recital with pianist Jean-Claude vanden Eynden and with her brother Nicolas van Poucke.

She has been guest in numerous international festivals such as Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern, West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Krzyzowa Music, Chigiana International Festival, Kaposfest Hungary, Internationaal Kamermuziek Festival Utrecht, Grachten Festival Amsterdam, Kronberg Festival, Cello Biennale Amsterdam and was invited to participate in Verbier Festival Academy in 2009, 2013 and 2014.

As a Dutch ‘Rising Star’ Ella was invited to give two Carte Blanche concerts in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 2013-14. In the summer of 2017 she was Artist in Residence with the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands and in August 2018 Ella was Artist in Residence of the Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam. In 2019 Ella performed the complete works for cello and piano by Beethoven in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam together with her brother Nicolas among other venues. In 2018 she toured with all the Bach suites.

This year she is Artist in Residence at the Avrotros Vrijdagconcert where she will perform several times with the Radio Filharmonisch orkest and with her musical friends and inspirations including Gary Hoffman.

Born into a family of musicians, Ella began playing the cello at the age of six. Entered the Royal Conservatory of The Hague at the age of 10 and later continued her studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam with Godfried Hoogeveen. She has taken masterclasses and worked with Andras Schiff, Miklos Perenyi, Daniel Barenboim, Christoph Eschenbach, Steven Isserlis, Anner Bijlsma, Bernard Greenhouse, Mischa Maisky, the Emerson Quartet among others.

From 2009-2016 Ella studied with professor Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy Masters in Germany. From 2016-2019 she was an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels, where she studied with Gary Hoffman. Ella plays on a 1620 Maggini cello, kindly lend to her by an anonymus benefactor.

Booklet for Rachmaninoff: Sonata for Cello and Piano Op. 19, Two Pieces for Cello and Piano Op. 2 & Trio Élégiaque No. 1 - Shalygin: “Tristissima” for Cello and Piano