Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works Hellen Weiß & Gabriel Schwabe

• Zoltán Kodály (1882 - 1967): Duo for Violin & Cello in D Minor, Op. 7:
• 1 Duo for Violin & Cello in D Minor, Op. 7: I. Allegro serioso, non troppo 08:48
• 2 Duo for Violin & Cello in D Minor, Op. 7: II. Adagio 08:24
• 3 Duo for Violin & Cello in D Minor, Op. 7: III. Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo lento - Presto 09:23
• György Ligeti (1923 - 2006): Cello Sonata:
• 4 Cello Sonata: I. Dialogo 03:59
• 5 Cello Sonata: II. Capriccio 03:52
• Zoltán Kodály: Cello Sonata in B Minor, Op. 8:
• 6 Cello Sonata in B Minor, Op. 8: I. Allegro maestoso ma appassionato 08:22
• 7 Cello Sonata in B Minor, Op. 8: II. Adagio con grand' espressione 10:58
• 8 Cello Sonata in B Minor, Op. 8: III. Allegro molto vivace 11:23
• Total Runtime 01:05:09

Info for Kodály & Ligeti: Cello Works

Zoltán Kodálys later years were dominated by a series of choral works but his early reputation centered upon chamber music, notably two string quartets, a Cello Sonata (8.553160) and the two masterpieces heard on this recording. The Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7 combines Classical form with folk influence, while the Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8, with its expanded harmonies and tone colours, is one of the greatest solo cello works since Bachs Cello Suites. György Ligeti continued the Hungarian lineage with his Sonata for Solo Cello, a succinct but pivotal work in his compositional development. Gabriel Schwabe has established himself among the leading cellists of his generation. He is a laureate of numerous national and international competitions, including the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann and the Concours Rostropovich in Paris. In 2009, he won the prestigious Pierre Fournier Award in London. He is a regular guest at festivals such as the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival, the Kronberg Academy Festival and the Amsterdam Biennale, and has performed with artists including Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Kirill Gerstein and Jonathan Gilad.

Gabriel Schwabe, cello
Hellen Weiß, violin

Hellen Weiß
Hamburg-born violinist Hellen Weiß started her extensive performing career at the age of sixteen.

As a soloist she performed with leading orchestras such as the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra San Marco Pordenone, the North Bohemia Philharmonic Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum Basel in renowned concert venues such as Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berliner Philharmonie, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Stadtcasino Basel, Rudolfinum Prag and Berwaldhallen Stockholm.

Furthermore she received the EMCY Art for Music Prize, the Eduard-Söring-Prize from "Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben" (for string quartet) and, as a pianist, the Steinway-Prize for piano. ​

She regularly performs at music festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Mendelssohn-festival Leipzig, the music festival "Heidelberger Frühling", in the concert series „Resonanzen“ Siegburg, the European Weeks Passau, the German Forum New York, the concert series "Spectrum" Villa Musica and "Teatime Classics" at Laeiszhalle Hamburg.

Since the age of twelve Hellen Weiß has also been a passionate chamber musician. During her intensive work in string quartets she has perfomed concerts in Germany, France and the Czech Republic. Furthermore she participated in the chamber music project "Young Artists & Friends" with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Her chamber music partners included Nils Mönkemeyer, Jörg Widmann, Nicolas Altstaedt, Maximilian Hornung, Lauma Skride, Gustav Rivinius, Emil Rovner, Benjamin Moser and Gabriel Schwabe.

Her solo and chamber music performances have been broadcasted by radio and TV stations worldwide, including NDR, SWR and Sveriges Radio.

She became more and more involved in contemporary music and has worked with composers Dieter Schnebel, Juliane Klein, Charlotte Seither and Jörg Widmann among others.

At the age of twelve Hellen Weiß enrolled as a pre-college student and studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi, Nora Chastain and Rainer Kussmaul. She received further important musical impulses from Thomas Brandis, David Takeno, Antje Weithaas and the Artemis Quartet. ​

She teaches at the „Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber“ Dresden and has given masterclasses in Germany, Spain, South Korea and New Zealand.​ Since 2017 Hellen Weiß is artistic director of the "VIVO! Musikfestival Hamburg". ​

She plays a Matteo Goffriller violin from 1698, a generous loan from a private collection. She is married to cellist Gabriel Schwabe.

Gabriel Schwabe
is a laureate of three of the most prestigious cello competitions: the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin, the Concours Rostropovich in Paris and the Pierre Fournier Award in London. Important critics praise his expressive interpretations and technical abilities paired with a compelling presence on stage. Norbert Hornig: „Gabriel Schwabe is a cello phenomenon, commanding his instrument with nuance and facility.“ Or Harald Eggebrecht: „No one in the audience will soon forget Gabriel Schwabe, as, suddenly, more than a trace of Feuermann could be felt in the hall.“

As a soloist he has worked with important orchestras such as the London Philharmonia, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin, the NDR Radio Philharmonic, the Royal Northern Sinfonia, the DSO Berlin, the Malmö and Norrköping Symphony Orchestras and the NCPA Orchestra Beijing with conductors such as Marek Janowski, Eivind Gullberg-Jensen, Dennis Russell-Davies, Cornelius Meister, Michael Sanderling, Marc Soustrot and Christian Kluxen.

In chamber music, Gabriel Schwabe regularly performs with artists such as Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzlaff, Lars Vogt, Kirill Gerstein and Jonathan Gilad. In 2010 he gave his recital debut at London’s Wigmore Hall. He is a regular guest at festivals such as the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, Kronberg Festival, Amsterdam Biennale and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.

In 2015, Gabriel Schwabe signed an exclusive recording contract with record label Naxos. His debut CD (Brahms Sonatas and Songs with pianist Nicholas Rimmer) was released the same year. Releases with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra under Marc Soustrot, the Royal Northern Sinfonia under Lars Vogt and the Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Antoni Wit followed to great critical acclaim.

Gabriel Schwabe was born in Berlin to German-Spanish parents. He studied with Catalin Ilea at the University of Arts in Berlin and with Frans Helmerson at the Kronberg Academy and recieved further impulses from Janos Starker, Gary Hoffmann and Gidon Kremer. ​

​He is a cello professor at the HfMT Cologne and the Conservatorium Maastricht. He is married to violinist Hellen Weiß and plays a cello by Giuseppe Guarneri (Cremona, 1695-97).

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