Cellist Jordan Gregoris and pianist Stéphane De May present a beautiful disc of the complete works for cello and piano by Rachmaninov.

The Sonata for Cello and Piano, op.19, which forms the main part of this recording, is very similar to the highly praised second concerto for piano and orchestra, with which it shares quite a few traits. Especially the character of the piece that is as well elegiac and tragic or like the very richly elaborated musical material. The cello part is treated as a vocal part, very lyrical, but it is the piano obviously which plays the main role with quasi-symphonic aspects. The sonata was an immediate success.

The other pieces recorded for this disc are works from his early period, before 1902 and transcriptions – including the famous Vocalise – full of intense and glamorous lyricism, generally much appreciated by the public.