Rachmaninov’s Sonata for violin and piano in G minor, Op. 19, is a monster. A monumental work of musical and melodic splendor, but also of technical and interpretative challenge. You’ll never find a satisfactory version where the pianist isn’t as exceptional as the cellist. A true symbiosis is deployed throughout the score’s forty-odd minutes, with the piano often providing the material that the cello will develop more lyrically, in typical Rachmaninovian fashion. A dialogue of equals. And dialogue there is between these two young Canadian artists! Noémie Raymond-Friset and Zhenni Li-Cohen exchange ideas, themes and melodies in a virtuoso ballet in which all the pieces of the vast edifice of this masterpiece are placed with precision and sensitivity. A reading here made up of marked contrasts, heartfelt legatos and, above all, constant, attentive mutual listening. Li-Cohen is clearly a remarkable pianist. This is evident in her fine attention to detail and the precision of her playing, which is pearly, sensitive and genuinely virtuoso. Noémie Raymond-Friset is a young cello star whom we still know too little about (in her own country). Her overflowing musicality and intense expressivity are sure to make her a crowd favorite.
The program also includes Rebecca Clarke’s Sonata for Viola and Piano, in its version for cello. Clarke wrote it in 1919, and gave it a romantic breath that would certainly not have displeased Rachmaninov, although certain scratches give it a more piquant, modern edge, with also colourings that bring Ravel in the equation. The cello’s expression is powerful, sometimes tense, which Raymond-Friset accomplishes with ease, and the piano, here too, is an equal partner.
This Raymond-Friset/Li-Cohen duet is an all-round performer, and we very much hope that this will not be its only recording.
The album Dialogues with Rachmaninov and Clarke Sonatas, will launch the 2024-2025 season of the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur in Montreal, on September 29, 2024. It’s free. DETAILS HERE.
And if you happen to be in New York on 20 March 2025, make a beeline for Carnegie Hall, where you can hear the two artists perform the same repertoire, with a bonus: a new sonata written specifically for the duo by Christian Thomas. DETAILS
