István Várdai & János Balázs Presented by Liszt Academy

Composing for the cello represented a diversion for the pianist Chopin in the last years of his life, whereas cellist Kodály wrote perhaps his best instrumental work for this instrument while still young. This is the very first time that István Várdai, celebrated cellist and, since last year, head of department at the Music Academy in Vienna, and János Balázs, who is a few years younger, have performed together. They are around the same age as Kodály was when he completed his Sonatina and, a little later, the Sonata. Chopin’s cello-piano sonata is rarely performed in concert halls, yet it is still something really special: it was written for his friend and superb cellist Auguste Franchomme, with whom he performed the last three movements in what was to be the composer’s final public appearance, on 18 February 1848; it was also the last work to be published in Chopin’s lifetime. On the other hand, Kodály’s Sonatina, and more so his Cello Sonata, are justifiably two of the most frequently performed works by the Hungarian composer; through its unbelievably expressive and unique solutions, the latter piece is one of the most demanding and, at the same time, most rewarding opuses in the cello canon.