Various Composers - Soirée Musicale. Favourite Encores and Party Pieces (Paul Tortelier)

Information

1. Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564: Adagio (arr. Siloti)
2. Gabriel Fauré - Sicilienne, Op. 78
3. François Schubert - Bagatelles, Op. 13: No. 9, L'abeille
4. Carl Maria von Weber - Adagio and Rondo in F Major, J. 115 (arr. Piatigorsky)
5. Felix Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words, Book 4, Op. 53: No. 5 in A Minor, MWV U153 "Folk Song" (arr. de Hartmann)
6. Gerard Hekking - Villageoise
7. David Popper - Dance of the Elves, Op. 39
8. Sergei Rachmaninov - 14 Romances, Op. 34: No. 14, Vocalise
9. Claude Debussy - Préludes, Livre I, CD 125, L. 117: No. 12, Minstrels (arr. Bergmann)
10. Joaquin Nin - 20 Cantos populares españoles: No. 7, Granadina (arr. Kochanski)
11. Nicholas Karjinsky - Esquisse
12. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - The Tale of Tsar Saltan, Act 3: The Flight of the Bumblebee
13. Camille Saint-Saëns - Suite for Cello and Piano, Op. 16: II. Sérénade
14. Camille Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalila, Op. 47: Air. "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" (transcr. Papin)
15. Camille Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalila, Op. 47: Danse des prêtresses de Dagon (transcr. Samm)
16. Paul Tortelier - 3 Miniatures pour deux violoncelles: No. 1, Danse triste (À Mstislav Rostropovich)
17. Paul Tortelier - 3 Miniatures pour deux violoncelles: No. 2, À Georges Lanchy
18. Paul Tortelier - 3 Miniatures pour deux violoncelles: No. 3, Tempo di siciliana
19. Paul Tortelier - Valse No. 1 "Alla Maud"

Paul Tortelier, cello

Maria De La Pau, piano

Maud Tortelier, cello 2 (16-19)

Date: 1976 / 2026

Label: Warner Classics

_____________________

For Paul Tortelier, music is definitely a family affair! Here, surrounded by two of his favourite musical partners (his wife Maud and his daughter Maria de la Pau), he treats us to a recital featuring character pieces, encores, transcriptions, and even works of his own composition!

Born in Paris, French cellist and composer Paul Tortelier (1914–1990) enjoyed a distinguished international career shaped by early training at the Conservatoire de Paris. He served as principal cellist for major orchestras in Monte Carlo and Boston before launching a prolific global solo career in 1947, heavily influenced by collaborator Pablo Casals. Closely tied to the British musical scene, Tortelier frequently recorded in Britain and broadcast popular BBC masterclasses. Alongside a dedicated teaching career across Europe and Asia, he composed numerous orchestral and chamber works, cementing his legacy as a premier twentieth-century virtuoso and educator.