Sol Gabetta plays Chopin's Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65

A Gala with Nelson Goerner

Nelson Goerner, Piano

Sol Gabetta, Violoncello

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN:

Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65

Étude, Op. 25, No. 7 in C-Sharp Minor

Recorded on 17 July 2016 in the Church in Saanen

Sol Gabetta and Chopin

Frédéric Chopin was a genius and he chose to write most of his music for the piano. (Virtually all of his compositions include the piano!) That’s a fact and it makes all non-pianists jealous. The cellist Sol Gabetta however takes another stance: She recognizes the importance of the work he wrote for the cello. (His wonderful collaboration with the French cello-virtuoso Auguste-Joseph Franchomme inspired Chopin to write for the cello.)

One of the masterpieces Sol Gabetta chose, when she first collaborated with the Argentinean pianist Nelson Goerner, is the beautiful sonata in g-minor. It is a composition that confused Chopin’s contemporaries in 1848 in Paris. Only today it is perceived as the most passionate and noble epitome of Romanticism, particularly when Sol Gabetta is performing it with her characteristic intensity.

Franchomme’s true heir

Auguste-Joseph Franchomme and Sol Gabetta: Their careers may be centuries apart, but resemble each other in a remarkable way: First of all, both strived to enlarge their instrument’s repertoire working with prolific composers. Franchomme chose to collaborate with Chopin, Sol Gabetta asked Pēteris Vasks and Michel van der Aa to write for her. They also share the wish to play with their friends. Whoever has been to the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, knows Sol Gabetta’s favourite partners (such as Patricia Kopatchinskaja, with whom she has been playing for many years). Less known is the role Auguste-Joseph Franchomme played in the development of the string quartet: He and violinist Delphin Alard founded one of the first professional string quartets ever.

Therefore, the lightness with which Sol Gabetta and Nelson Goerner play the entire sonata in g-minor won’t surprise us. And we also hope to hear her play the other pieces Chopin wrote for her instrument: L‘Introduction et Polonaise in c-major and the Trio in g-minor (both masterpieces Sol Gabetta already recorded with her old friend Bertrand Chamayou for Sony).

Sol Gabetta

Artist Description

You couldn’t have come up with a better name for Sol “The sun” Gabetta. She’s as radiant whenever she takes the stage, as when you meet her backstage. She’s kind and generous with her time. For nearly two decades Sol Gabetta has been a leading presence at Gstaad, having become something like the festival’s ambassador. Every year we are blessed with her new projects, often in form of world premieres.

The Gabetta family’s bear paws

We all heard about her great career, but little is known about how it started. Once at Saanen Sol Gabetta shared with us the following story: «I was three years old and my brother Andrés was eight. My parents gave both of us a violin. But – of course – Andrés played much better, because he was much older. However, one day I was offered cello lessons.» Thanks to the Suzuki-method Sol made very soon great progress. «I immediately sensed that the cello was right for me. It feels more natural than the violin. I’m small and have huge hands. We all have bear paws in our family. I can’t fathom how Andrés manages with his violin.»

Cappella Gabetta – For the Love of Old Music

So the years passed and the each of the siblings found their own way. «After Andrés got his diploma, he met Christophe Coin (the great cellist who specializes in the so-called period performance. He immersed himself in the Baroque Music. And even though I followed his journey with keen interest, I focused on the grand concert repertoire… up until I discovered the old music myself. That was whilst I was working on the first «Progetto Vivaldi» for Sony.»

Sol’s interpretation of Vivaldi, the so-called «Red Priest», was a huge success, so that Sony immediately wanted her to do another record. And Sol Gabetta realized that this would allow her to collaborate with her brother: Thus, the Cappella Gabetta was born! And from then on, the Cappella Gabetta became a regular at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival.

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