Cello Sonata No. 1 in E minor, Op. 38
Songs for cello & piano (arr. Norbert Salter & David Geringas):
Feldeinsamkeit, Op. 86/2
Wie Melodien zieht es mir leise durch den Sinn, Op. 105/1
Sapphische Ode, Op. 94/4
Wiegenlied, Op. 49/4
Liebestreu, Op. 3/1
Minnelied, Op. 71/5
Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer, Op. 105/2

Cello Sonata No. 2 in F, Op. 99

This year, legendary cellist Antonio Meneses celebrates his 65th birthday and the 40th anniversary of winning first prize and the gold medal at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition. Shortly after that triumph Antonio made a renowned recording of Brahms’ Double Concerto with conductor Herbert von Karajan. He revisits the composer’s music on his 11th recording for AVIE Records and his first of Brahms’ two cello sonatas, generously paired with a selection of lieder arrangements.

Antonio mines Brahms’ baritonal sound world, extracting the full expressive range of the cello. Similar qualities infuse a selection of seven Lieder in arrangements that sound so effective on the cello that one cannot help but wonder whether somewhere in the back of his mind Brahms had the sound of the instrument – he was, after all, an accomplished player in his youth, and it would remain central to his chamber music output throughout his life.

---

Recording: SRF Studio Zurich, 28–30 June 2021. Cello: Matteo Goffriller (1710). Piano: Bösendorfer Concert Grand 280VC.