Richard Strauss; César Franck; Frédéric Chopin - Cello Sonatas (Suren Bagratuni; Soojin Kim)

Information

Composer: Richard Strauss; César Franck; Frédéric Chopin

• Strauss - Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6
• Franck - Violin Sonata in A Major
• Chopin - Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65

Suren Bagratuni, cello

Soojin Kim, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Blue Griffin Recording

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Released on 6 February 2026 by Blue Griffin Recording, Cello Sonatas: Strauss, Franck, Chopin is a two-disc album featuring cellist Suren Bagratuni and pianist Soojin Kim, produced by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer Sergei Kvitko. The recording traces the evolution of the Romantic cello sonata, highlighting the instrument’s emergence as an equal partner to the piano. Strauss’s youthful Sonata in F Major reveals early orchestral ambition and virtuosic brilliance. Franck’s Sonata in A Major, presented in Jules Delstart’s cello arrangement, unfolds in a richly expressive cyclic structure. Chopin’s Sonata in G Minor, his final published work, reflects an introspective and lyrical late style.

Hailed by The Boston Globe as “a cellist of uncommon attainments,” Suren Bagratuni is an internationally acclaimed performer and pedagogue. A Silver Medalist at the 1986 Tchaikovsky Competition while a student at the Moscow Conservatory, he has since built a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and recording artist, appearing worldwide in both standard and contemporary repertoire. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, he studied with Natalia Shakhovskaya and Daniel Shafran, later earning an Artist Diploma from the New England Conservatory. Professor of Cello at Michigan State University and Artistic Director of the Cello Plus Festival, Bagratuni has released 16 recordings, earning critical praise for interpretations ranging from Bach to contemporary works.

Soojin Kim is an internationally acclaimed pianist whose career spans Asia, Europe, and North America. Praised for her refined musicianship and expressive depth, her playing has been described as “mesmerizing” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and marked by intelligence and honesty in the Korean press. A child prodigy in South Korea, she performed for King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand at age eleven, beginning a lasting artistic connection there. Kim has appeared widely in recital and as concerto soloist with major orchestras in Korea and Germany, and has been broadcast internationally. A graduate of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln, she later pursued doctoral studies in the United States, combining solo performance with distinguished collaborative work.