Michal Kanka - Jaromír Klepác

In Belgium, Michal Kanka (b. 1960, Prague) is best known as the gifted cellist in the Prazák Quartet. His recent brilliant solo recordings have given his solo career a tremendous boost. For the opening concert in our cello series we asked him to compile a programme based on the Russian repertoire. Stravinsky's 1932 'Italian Suite' was an adaptation of his ballet 'Pulcinella', which was dedicated to the baroque composer Pergolesi. Its theatrical and dance-like nature makes this lively suite the perfect stepping stone to our first monument of cello literature, Kodály's Solo Sonata opus 8. This masterpiece from 1915 has echos of both Bach's counterpoint and an unfettered gipsy orchestra. It is exceptionally demanding for the cellist, introduces many new playing techniques and makes the instrument sound sometimes like a harp and at others like bagpipes. Rachmaninov's 1901 Cello Sonata is his most representative piece of chamber music. His friendship with the cellist Brandiekov gave him a thorough knowledge of the instrument's expressive potential. The elegiac 'andante' is a Rachmaninov gem of pure Romanticism.