Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881-1950) attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory, opting to pursue music rather than a military career. He studied with Rimsky-Korsakov, Lyadov, and Gliere, but always conceded the influence of the mystic Scriabin. Whatever experimental and radical impulses Myaskovsky developed were adamantly opposed by the Stalin regime in the Soviet Union, forcing the later examples of his 27 symphonies and 13 string quartets to conform to a more conservative means of expression. The two cello sonatas on this album are separated by 40 years. The No. 1 in D (1911) projects a sense of melody. The Cello Sonata No. 2 in A Minor (1948) is among Myaskovsky’s last works, and it is dedicated to the rising star of the time, Mstislav Rostropovich.

Sergei Taneyev (1865-1915) often reveals the influence of Tchaikovsky in his works. The Canzona in F Minor dates from 1883, was originally for clarinet and string orchestra. The cello and piano transcription has served as the most familiar medium for the piece.

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) in his early period of development enjoyed breaking the rules and sporting an enfant terrible image. His 1912 Ballade in C Minor was written for Nikolai Ruzsky, a wealthy businessman and amateur cellist.

1-2. MYASKOVSKY: Cello Sonata No. 1 in D Major, Op. 12
1. Adagio – Andante. A moody theme in the cello, espressivo, initiates the music. The piano plays a lovely nocturne, Andante, which has the cello join in. Short, stabbing chords in the piano start a conflicted development section. The urgency of this section never quite relents, ending fortissimo as a segue to the 2nd movement.
2. Allegro passionate. The cello enters with a 6/8 theme supported by flowing 16ths in the piano. The 2nd subject appears in contrasting meters, 6/8 and 9/8, in F major, espressivo ma semplice. An emotional development section leads to the recapitulation. The huge climax, quadruple forte, leads to the opening Adagio, sounded softly, as a coda.
3. PROKOFIEV: Ballade for Cello and Piano in C Minor, Op. 15 had its premiere in 1914, and Myaskovsky declared the work ought to have been written for famed virtuoso Pablo Casals. Alternating broad, thundering sincerity with clashing irony, the piece militantly exploits the cello’s pizzicato (plucked string) sonority. A grandly emotional section, Andante, ensues leading to the final, dreamy episode, marked con sordino (to be played with the cello muted), ending in bell tones.

4-6. MYASKOVSKY: Cello Sonata No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 81
4. Allegro moderato. In sonata-form, a cantabile theme opens the sonata. Myaskovsky relies more on nostalgic, lyric affection than on conflict for his development. The recapitulation modulates into F# minor, with the cello muted. The coda utilizes the opening, singing melody,
5. Andante cantabile offers Myaskovsky at his idyllically melodic best, the theme in F major, above a rocking, syncopated piano accompaniment. The mood becomes more passionately declamatory, then subsides into reverie. After a brief return to the stirred emotions of the middle section the movement ends peacefully.
6. Allegro con spirito is the tempo designation for the last movement Rondo, a busy impulse that has the cello churning the theme while the piano punches out staccato chords and then rich arpeggios. Tremolo gestures and pizzicatos infiltrate the cello texture, The piano part itself becomes quite volatile and virtuosic. The broad, sweeping tone of the cello testifies to Myaskovsky’s melodic gift. A brief solo cadenza moves us to the final pages, a heartfelt urge to passion before the hustle of the coda sweeps us away.

7. TANEYEV: Canzona for Cello and Piano of 1883 has been transcribed from its original clarinet and strings setting. A melodious miniature, it fits comfortably into a lyric tradition established by Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, and Rachmaninoff.