Kenneth Leighton wrote his first work for solo cello as a twenty-year-old student at The Queen’s College, Oxford. Completed on New Year’s Eve of 1949, the piece was a sonata in three movements in F minor and, while unfortunately not remaining intact, was the provenance of the earliest work on this disc, the Elegy for cello and piano, Op.5.

Following this early work for the instrument, Leighton was to continue to write for the cello on a regular basis, with a plethora of compositions that include the instrument in various guises: as a solo instrument, with the piano, in a concerto role, in various chamber permutations as well as, inevitably, within an orchestra. This particular collection focuses on the quite substantial contribution of solo works (including those with piano) that Leighton made to the repertoire of the cello.

Raphael Wallfisch is one of the most celebrated cellists performing on the international stage. He was born in London into a family of distinguished musicians, his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch and his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch. Raphael has recorded nearly every major work for his instrument. His extensive discography explores both the mainstream concerto repertoire and countless lesser-known works by Dohnanyi, Respighi, Barber, Hindemith and Martinu, as well as Richard Strauss, Dvorak, Kabalevsky and Khachaturian. He has recorded a wide range of British cello concertos, including works by MacMillan, Finzi, Delius, Bax, Bliss, Britten, Moeran, Walton and Kenneth Leighton.

Raphael Terroni studied with John Vallier and Cyril Smith and has performed at all the Southbank venues and at the Wigmore Hall. He has given recitals both at home and abroad and has appeared at major Festivals as a soloist, accompanist and chamber music player. In 1979 he won the first ISM/Nat West Festival Competition. He has worked for many years with Richard Baker giving first performances of several works for Narrator and Piano. Raphael’s CD of Piano Music by Lennox Berkeley (BMS) was awarded Gramophone Critic’s Choice, and his CD of Songs and piano music by Robin Milford was awarded Gramophone Editor’s Choice.