Leoš Janáček: Pohádka, JW VII/5 (Fairy-tale) Sonata in A flat minor, JW VII/7
Zoltán Kodály: Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 4 Mért is mondod, hogy nem szeretsz, Op. post. No. 1 (Why are you saying that you do not love me?) Vékony a pókháló, Op. 1 No. 9 (Slender is a silk thread) Sonatina
Antonín Dvořák: Als die alte Mutter, Op. 55 No. 4, B 104, S 73 (Songs my mother taught me)
The label début of the Exclusive Chandos Artist Laura van der Heijden explores the rich musical heritage of Bohemia. She was born in England to Dutch-Swiss parents, and her career highlights already include winning the BBC Young Musician competition (aged just fifteen), the Edison Klassiek Award 2018 (for her début album) and BBC Music Magazine’s Newcomer Award in 2019. Laura writes: ‘Jâms and I first met in 2017, when I was mesmerised by the sensitivity of his musicianship and the colours he managed to create on the piano. Our first concert together took place in the summer of 2018 and included Janáček’s Pohádka.
Both of us felt incredibly drawn to this piece and also to Janáček’s musical language. One of the reasons we were particularly enamoured of Pohádka (a Czech word which loosely translates as ‘A Tale’) was the focus of the piece on storytelling and how that invited us to let our creativity and imagination flow. This is the common thread spun throughout the repertoire that we have selected for this album; all the pieces embody the notion of passing on ancient folk tales, tales which have lived amongst peoples and across lands for centuries.’ Recording: Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk; 24 – 27 July 2021. Laura van der Heijden plays a late seventeenth-century cello by Francesco Ruggieri, of Cremona. Piano: Steinway Model D Concert Grand Piano (serial no. 592 087).
