Description
Paul Marleyn, cello, and Stéphane Lemelin, piano, explore music by three French Romantic composers whose works range from the mid-19th century to the early 20th - Paul Lacombe, Fernand de la Tombelle, and Édouard Lalo.
Paul Lacombe wrote his Piano and Cello Sonata in 1902 and dedicated it to Jules Loeb, a professor at the Paris Conservatory.
Although almost completely unknown, the work is a welcome addition to the repertoire.
A composer and virtuoso pianist and organist, Fernand de La Tombelle studied with Camille Saint-Saëns, among others, and later trained the great Nadia Boulanger. He composed his richly melodic Sonata for Piano and Cello in 1905.
Composed in 1856, Lalo's Sonata for Piano and Cello was dedicated to the famous Russian pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein. The sonata beautifully illustrates Lalo's melodic, dramatic style.
Cellist Paul Marleyn tours widely and has appeared as soloist with many major orchestras. He collaborates with artists such as James Somerville, Marc-André Hamelin, and Joshua Bell, as well as the St. Lawrence, Penderecki, and New Zealand string quartets. Marleyn is Artistic Director of the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival and the International Cello Festival of Canada. He teaches at the University of Ottawa.
Pianist Stéphane Lemelin is well-known as a soloist and chamber musician. His repertory is vast, with a particular affinity for French music. Lemelin is Chair of the Department of Performance and Professor of Piano at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University.