Brahms: Cello Transcriptions Emanuele Torquati & Francesco Dillon

• Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897): Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 78:
• 1 Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 78: I. Vivace ma non troppo 11:12
• 2 Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 78: II. Adagio 07:15
• 3 Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 78: III. Allegro molto moderato 09:19
• Six Lieder:
• 4 Feldeinsamkeit, Op. 85 02:36
• 5 Wie Melodien, Op. 105 02:09
• 6 Sapphische Ode, Op. 94 01:54
• 7 Wiegenlied, Op. 49 01:56
• 8 Liebestreu, Op. 3 02:11
• 9 Minnelied, Op. 71 02:31
• 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21:
• 10 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: II. Allegro non assai 03:41
• 11 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: IV. Poco sostenuto 04:58
• 12 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: V. Allegro 02:58
• 13 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: IX. Allegro non troppo 02:12
• 14 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: XIII. Andantino grazioso 01:41
• 15 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: XIV. Un poco andante 02:12
• 16 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: XVI. Con moto 02:45
• 17 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: XIX. Allegretto 02:00
• 18 21 Hungarian Dances, Op. 21: XX. Poco allegretto 02:55
• Total Runtime 01:06:25

Info for Brahms: Cello Transcriptions

Arrangements of the First Violin Sonata and groups of songs and Hungarian dances, made by Brahms’s contemporaries for an idiom close to the composer’s heart, in new recordings by an experienced partnership.

Brahms, like most composers, had no scruple about arranging his own music for other forces, whether to disseminate it further or earn useful income or both. Sometimes he undertook the transcription of his orchestral works for the popular domestic market of piano duet; on other occasions he left the work to trusted friends and colleagues.

Although the composer did not apparently have any other instrument in mind when he wrote the First Violin Sonata, the piece sitspeculiarly well on the cello once transposed to the key of D major by the cellist Paul Klengel; its pervasive mood of profound melancholy is even enhanced by the cello’s voice. Clara Schumann recognised the sonata as one of Brahms’s most tender yet regretful tributes to her, and wished that it should be played at her funeral, to which purpose Klengel’s transcription is eminently suited.

Norbert Salter (1868-1935) was a cellist who played under Mahler in both Budapest and Hamburg; this is his only published transcription, a set of six Lieder by Brahms which may well have been made under the elderly composer’s supervision. Like the Brahms/Klengel Sonata, this is a sensitive yet now little-known piece of work which deserves modern appreciation.

Francesco Dillon and Emanuele Torquati conclude their fourth album for Brilliant Classics in a lighter vein, with nine of the ever-popular Hungarian Dances, arranged to stylish effect by the Italian virtuoso Alfredo Piatti who did so much to advance the cause of the cello as a solo instrument in the 19th century. The Italian duo’s pair of Schumann albums (BC94060 and BC94328) were warmly welcomed in the critical press: reviewing the second volume, Il corriere musicale noted the ‘persuasive, vibrant tone of Francesco Dillon and refined pianism from Emanuele Torquati.’

Johannes Brahms was a keen transcriber, he wrote numerous arrangements of his own works and those of others. Moreover he was happy when others transcribed his works for other instruments, that is when it was done by musicians he trusted. He considered it a form of theft for love, a manifestation for respect for tradition and a sign of friendship.

The transcriptions on this new recording were fully approved by Brahms, and they even found their place in the Brahms Thematic Catalogue made up by his publisher Simrock. The transcribers are Alfredo Piatti (Hungarian Dances), Paul Klengel (violin sonata No. 1) and Norbert Salter (songs). It is fascinating how essentially Brahmsian these transcriptions for cello and piano sound, the deep and slightly melancholy sonority of the cello fits Brahms music extremely well.

Cellist Francesco Dillon and pianist Emanuele Torquati already recorded similar albums for Brilliant Classics, notably of works by Robert Schumann, and they do so with complete commitment and love for the music.

Francesco Dillon, cello
Emanuele Torquati, piano

Emanuele Torquati
is rapidly gaining international recognition for his poetic and passionate music making, communicative performances and engaging programming. He has been hailed as “a thoughtful musician and a champion of contemporary music” by the New York Times and as “a vibrant pianist, excellent overall” by the Boston Globe. His flourishing career has taken him to some of Europe, Canada, America and Africa’s most illustrious venues, in such diverse cities as Addis Abeba, Buenos Aires (Teatro Colon), San Francisco, Toronto, Banff, New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Boston, Paris, Lyon, Frankfurt, Berlin, Leipzig, Berlin, Prague, Krakow, Munich, Graz, Ljubljana, Kiev and Oslo.

His concerts have been broadcasted by RAI, BBC Radio3, Deutschland Radiokultur, MDR Kultur, Radio France, Swiss RSI, RTE Lyric and Euroradio. As a soloist he has performed with such Orchestras as Italian National Radio Orchestra (RAI), Lithuanian National Symphony, Buenos Aires Philarmonics, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Tuscany Regional Orchestra (ORT).

A notable performer of new music and an avid chamber musician, he enjoys a diverse and varied career as a pianist. He was artist in residence at The Banff Centre with the project “Voyage Messiaen” in 2008 and in 2010 with “Intimate Sketches: Visions on Leos Janàcek”, and recently at the IIC Paris within the program “Les Promesses de l’Art”.

His first recording, “Promenade sentimentale”, devoted to the Complete Piano Music of Albert Roussel has been followed by the Complete Piano Music by Alexander Zemlinsky for Brilliant Classics. In 2017 a new Album “The Vale of Dreams: Charles Griffes Piano Music” has been released.

With cellist Francesco Dillon, he recorded 3 Cds with Schumann rarities and the Complete Works by Franz Liszt. A new CD with Brahms rarities (Sonata n. 1 op. 78, Hungarian Dances and Lieder) will be released in March 2018.

Moreover, he has worked intensively with leading composers including Salvatore Sciarrino, Sylvano Bussotti, Wolfgang Rihm, Kaija Saariaho, Beat Furrer, Jonathan Harvey, Brett Dean, Thomas Larcher, Magnus Lindberg, Peter Ablinger and he has collaborated among others with musicians such as Isabel Charisius, Matthias Pintscher, Michael Gielen, Marisol Montalvo, Garth Knox, Susanne Linke, Inon Barnatan and Prometeo String Quartet. The recipient of several international awards, Torquati has been supported by Institutions such as CEMAT, Accademia Musicale Chigiana, DAAD Bonn, Ambassade de France en Italie, Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Graz, Ensemble Modern, The Banff Centre. He has been invited to give Masterclasses within several Universities and Conservatories in Italy and abroad, a.o. for Longy School, Boston University, University of La Plata and Universidad Popular de Còrdoba (Argentina), Trinity College Dublin. He is currently Professor at State Conservatory “Achille Peri” in Reggio Emilia.

Torquati was born in Milan in 1978. His most influential teachers were Giancarlo Cardini and Konstantin Bogino. He also worked closely with Alexander Lonquich, Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, Ian Pace, Michael Wendeberg. He went on to specialize in Chamber Music first with Franco Rossi (Quartetto Italiano), then he achieved a Master Degree at the International Chamber Music Academy of the Trio di Trieste. Since 2010, he’s the artistic director of music@villaromana for German institution Villa Romana. (Updated December 2017).

Francesco Dillon
(b.Turin, 1973) already has a brilliant international career to his credit, characterised by the originality and variety of the repertoire that he has embraced. As a soloist he has performed on such prestigious concert stages as the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Herkulessaal of Munich, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Jordan Hall in Boston and the Colon Theatre of Buenos Aires, with such orchestras as the Italian National Radio Orchestra (RAI), the Southwest Radio Symphony Orchestra of Stuttgart, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Vienna, the Orchestra of the Colon Theatre, Ensemble Resonanz, Oulu Sinfonia Finland, and the Tuscany Regional Orchestra (ORT). Most recently he made an acclaimed debut with the Philharmonic Orchestra of La Scala, Milan, conducted by Susanna Mallki.

Having graduated in Florence under the guidance of Andrea Nannoni, he continued his studies with Anner Bijlsma, Mario Brunello, David Geringas and Mstislav Rostropovich, thereafter studying composition with Salvatore Sciarrino.

In 1993 he was one of the founders of the Quartetto Prometeo, a chamber group of international acclaim and winner of numerous prizes (Prague Spring, ARD Munich, Bordeaux) and recently honoured with the Leone d’Argento award of the Biennale Musica of Venice. Dillon is also a stable member of the Alter Ego ensemble which is regularly invited to the major contemporary music festivals around the world. His passion for chamber music has led to performances with musicians such as Irvine Arditti, Mario Brunello, Giuliano Carmignola, Piero Farulli, David Geringas, Veronika Hagen, Alexander Lonquich, Enrico Pace, Jean-Guihen Queyras.

The profound interest in contemporary music which he has always cultivated has led to solid collaborations with the major composers of our time: Gavin Bryars, Ivan Fedele, Luca Francesconi, Stefano Gervasoni, Philip Glass, Vinko Globokar, Sofija Gubaidulina, Jonathan Harvey, Toshio Hosokawa, Giya Kancheli, Alexander Knaifel, Helmut Lachenmann, David Lang, Alvin Lucier, Arvo Pärt, Henri Pousseur, Steve Reich, Fausto Romitelli, Kaija Saariaho, Salvatore Sciarrino and with cult experimental musicians such as Matmos, and Pansonic, William Basinsky and John Zorn.

Dillon's performances have been transmitted by such important broadcasters as the BBC, RAI, ARD, Radio France, ORF, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and WDR. He has recorded for the ECM label, as well as Kairos, Ricordi, Stradivarius, Die Schachtel and Touch. He recently recorded for the first time, Variations by Salvatore Sciarrino which received the Diapason d’0r prize, and Ballatta by Giacinto Scelsi, both with the Italian National Radio Orchestra (RAI). As a duo with the pianist Emanuele Torquati, he has brought out three CDs of rare music of Schumann and the complete works for cello by Franz Liszt for Brilliant Classics. Along with his concert activity there have been teaching experiences in institutions such as the School of Music of Fiesole, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Moscow, the Pacific University in California, Untref-Buenos Aires, Manchester University. From 2010 he has been artistic director of the season of contemporary music Music@villaromana in Florence.

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