Edvard Grieg
Cello Sonata op.36 - Lyric pieces
Harmonia Mundi, 2008
Emmanuelle Bertrand cello
Pascal Amoyel piano
Alongside the Sonata op.36 – one of the monuments of the repertoire for cello and piano – Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel have transcribed some of the delightful Lyric Pieces as a sort of personal diary: in their own way, they retrace the life of Grieg, from the little Arietta of 1867 to the final backward glance of Remembrances (1901). The programme also includes two original pieces for this formation, the Intermezzo and Grieg’s own transcription of the Scherzo from his Third Violin Sonata.
GRIEG, Edvard (1843-1907)
Sonata for cello and piano in a, op. 36
The Strad, 2008
Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel elicit a totally compelling narrative in the first movement. The ensuing Andante achieves a marvelous poetic lyricism that balances spontaneity with a tautly controlled sense of musical line, while the finale is dazzling and intense, and its forceful conclusion is delivered with captivating élan [...] This marvelous disc allows us to savour Grieg’s alluring harmonies to the full.
Helen Wallace, BBC Music Magazine, 2008
Emmanuelle Bertrand and pianist Pascal Amoyel have an exquisitely sensitive partnership, at its best in passages of lingering lyricism [...] I would keep this disc for its unique collection of Lyric Pieces, which the duo have themselves transcribed for cello and piano in subtly arrangements that play with a surprising variety of timbres and textures. Their delicate rendition of Vöglein using pizzicato and barely-there string chords is pure enchantment ****
Jérôme Bastianelli, Diapason, 2008
La voix fragile du violoncelle dans l'aigu (opus 12 n°1), la profondeur apportée aux pages les plus sentimentales (opus 68 n°3), les jeux de timbre mis au service des plus folkloriques (opus 57 n°6), et plus généralement la volonté de créer un authentique dialogue entre les instruments font de ces transcriptions, jouées avec ferveur et sensibilité, une véritable réussite.
Joanne Talbot, Strad Magazine, 2008
Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel present an almost ideal performance of Grieg’s Cello Sonata. Supported by a wonderfully vivid recording, they elicit a totally compelling narrative in the first movement. The ensuing Andante achieves a marvelous poetic lyricism that balances spontaneity with a tautly controlled sense of musical line, while the finale is dazzling and intense, and its forceful conclusion is delivered with captivating élan.
