MAY 2026 NEW ON NAXOS
Christopher Ward
Listen to an excerpt from Variations on a Rococo Theme in A major, Op. 33: Variation 2: Tempo della thema – Cadenza LISTEN
8.574741
Playing time: 56:45 Release date: 8 May 2026
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Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893) Rococo Variations and other works for cello and orchestra
Tracklist 1 – 9 Variations on a Rococo Theme in A major, Op. 33 (1876) (original version) 0 Pezzo capriccioso in B minor, Op. 62 (1887) (with original cello part) ! Six Morceaux, Op. 19 – No. 4. Nocturne (1873, arr. 1888) @ Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 – II. Canzonetta: Andante (1878) (arr. G. Schwabe for cello and orchestra, 2025) * # Six Morceaux, Op. 51 – No. 6. Valse sentimentale (1882) (arr. G. Schwabe for cello and string orchestra, 2019) * $ Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (1870) (second version) * * WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING
Gabriel Schwabe, Cello Sinfonieorchester Aachen Christopher Ward
Tchaikovsky composed the Variations on a Rococo Theme for cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen who re-ordered the variations, infuriating the composer. The cello part for the virtuosic Pezzo capriccioso was also altered by its dedicatee, Anatoly Brandukov. In the performances heard here Tchaikovsky’s original intentions are restored. To accompany these pieces Gabriel Schwabe has provided two of his own arrangements – the Canzonetta from the Violin Concerto and Valse sentimentale from the Six Morceaux . The album ends with the second version – never before recorded – of the romantic fantasy overture Romeo and Juliet . Key features: • Gabriel Schwabe has recorded a number of major concerto and sonata albums for Naxos: ‘this is a lovely album headlined by an unusual approach to the Schumann Cello Concerto’ wrote Fanfare on 8.573786. His Brahms sonatas are on 8.573489: ‘Schwabe plays with a beautifully smooth and sweet tone. In addition, his intonation and finger-to-bow coordination are spot-on’, wrote Fanfare . • His Elgar and Bridge concertos were accompanied as on this current release by Christopher Ward , on 8.574320: ‘the performances here are consistently very good indeed, as is the recording balance and overall quality of sound, this inexpensive Naxos disc is more than worth every penny’, wrote Musical Opinion while Gramophone wrote that ‘Schwabe’s incendiary performance demands to be heard, and in his impassioned rhetoric he makes a compelling case for the importance of Bridge’s title in coming to an understanding of this deeply moving score’.
Sinfonieorchester Aachen
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