German cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker caused a sensation by winning both the First Prize and two Special Prizes at the eighth Rostropovich Competition twenty years ago, while her duo partner Martin Helmchen has also been performing on the most prestigious international stages for two decades. Partners both on and off the concert platform, the two artists are passionate advocates of chamber music. This 2-CD anthology of Russian music for cello and piano includes sonatas by Shostakovich, Schnittke, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Weinberg, as well as Stravinsky’s whimsical Suite Italienne.
What is it about Eastern Europe that it produces such top-tier cello music? I have my theories, but I’d wager that cellist Marie-Elisabeth Hecker and pianist Martin Helmchen have a little more than that, judging by their sensitive and intelligent performances of works by Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Weinberg, Prokofiev, and Schnittke (one of my favorite composers).
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