Prokofiev & Carter: Cello Sonatas

David Pereira and Lisa Moore, winners of the ABC Australian Record of the Year for The Wild Russians (TP017), bring the same shared vision, ensemble polish and passion to two cornerstones of the cello and piano repertoire.

Lisa Moore piano
David Pereira cello

Sergei Prokofiev composer
Elliott Carter composer

The programme pairs Prokofiev's late Sonata in C major, Op. 119, with Elliott Carter's Sonata for cello and piano of 1948. Both works sit at the heart of the modern cello and piano literature.

Written near the end of Prokofiev's life, the C major sonata balances lyrical breadth with clear classical form. Carter's 1948 sonata is a landmark of the American repertoire. It already explores the independent rhythmic life of the two instruments that would define so much of his later music.

Artists

Lisa Moore

Lisa Moore brings colour, stamina and sharp rhythmic sense to piano music that runs from Janáček’s brooding paths to the percussive glitter of new Australian scores and the charged partnership of Russian and American cello sonatas.

Sergei Prokofiev

Sergei Prokofiev (1891–1953) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, and one of the major figures of twentieth-century music. His work ranges from ballets, operas and concertos to sonatas and music written for young players.

David Pereira

David Pereira is an Australian classical cellist, teacher and composer, born in Macksville, New South Wales, in 1953. He has premiered many concertos and solo works written for him by Australian composers, and served as principal cellist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Elliott Carter

Elliott Carter (1908–2012) was an American modernist composer whose personal harmonic and rhythmic language shaped chamber and instrumental music across more than seven decades. Twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize, he remained prolific into his final years.

Tracks

Sonata in C Major for Cello and Piano, Op. 119 Sergei Prokofiev

i. Andante grave 13:14
ii. Moderato 5:17
iii. Allegro ma non troppo 9:04

Sonata for Cello and Piano (1948) Elliott Carter

i. Moderato 4:52
ii. Vivace 5:02
iii. Adagio 5:42
iv. Allegro 5:55

Performers

Lisa Moore · piano
David Pereira · cello

Contributors

Liner Notes

Graeme Skinner

Graeme Skinner writes the annotations that turn Tall Poppies recordings into fully armed listening: texts, contexts and sharp musical argument for everything from Mozart’s rude canons to Sculthorpe’s complete string quartets.

Where to listen

Prokofiev & Carter: Cello Sonatas is available for streaming through Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.

Prokofiev & Carter: Cello Sonatas is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.