Raïff Dantas Barreto & Anastasiya Evsina - Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata, Op. 19 & Romances (2024)

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Raïff Dantas Barreto & Anastasiya Evsina - Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata, Op. 19 & Romances (2024)

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In 2023, Brazilian cellist Raïff Dantas Barreto and Russian pianist Anastasiya Evsina came together to produce an album entirely dedicated to composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, in celebration of his 150th birthday. ‘Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata, Op. 19 & Romances’ highlights the vocal nuances of the Russian composer’s melodies, while exploring some of the most significant works in the repertoire for these instruments.

A release from the Azul Music label, and will be available on all digital platforms from June 7th.
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In 2023, after a recital in Geneva, Russian pianist Anastasiya Evsina and Brazilian cellist Raïff Dantas Barreto decided to produce an album entirely dedicated to the composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, celebrating his 150th birth anniversary.

‘Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonata, Op. 19 & Romances’ reveals the vocal nuances of the Russian composer’s melodies, while exploring some of the most important pieces in the instrument’s repertoire. At the end of the 20th century, Rachmaninoff faced a serious crisis of confidence, triggered by the disastrous premiere of his first symphony, leading him into a cycle of scarce production. Among the first major works that appeared after this period of convalescence is the “Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19”, completed in November 1901. The piece is characterized by the deep and technically challenging dialogue between the piano and the cello. Dantas Barreto and Evsina demonstrate a natural intimacy with the composer's work, but also musicality, harmony and virtuosity in their interpretation.

In addition to the sonata, the album features three romances originally written for voice and piano. “Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14”, one of the most emblematic melodies in the history of music and the most famous among the more than eighty songs created by Rachmaninoff, stands out for its peculiarity: the only one without text. The other two romances, transcribed and arranged for cello by Dantas Barreto, “Do Not Sing, My Beauty, Op. 4 No. 4” and “The Dream, Op. 8 No. 5”, were inspired by poems by Russian authors.