Cello | Bella Lorenzo-Giguere

Piano | Siyuan Xu

Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19 is an expansive and deeply lyrical work, in which the cello and piano share an unusually equal partnership. From its introspective opening to its passionate finale, the sonata combines sweeping Romantic melodies with rich harmonic textures and rhythmic vitality.

O canto do cisne negro (Song of the Black Swan) by Heitor Villa-Lobos offers a striking contrast. Originally part of his symphonic poem Naufrágio de Kleônicos, Villa-Lobos later arranged the final section for cello and piano. The cello sings an expressive, almost vocal melody above the piano’s flowing accompaniment, creating an atmospheric miniature of great tenderness and drama.

The recital concludes with Manuel de Falla’s Suite populaire espagnole, an arrangement for cello and piano by Maurice Maréchal of six songs from Falla’s Siete canciones populares españolas. Drawing on Spanish folk traditions, the six miniatures—El paño moruno, Nana, Canción, Polo, Asturiana, and Jota—move between intimacy, melancholy, rhythmic energy and vibrant dance.