ALEXANDER TCHEREPNIN (1899-1977): Cello Sonatas No. 1 in D, Op. 29, No. 2, Op. 30/1 and No. 3 in F Sharp Major/Minor, Op. 30/2, Ode, Mystère, Op. 37/2, 4 Songs and Dances, Op. 84, The Well-Tempered Cello, Op. 38.

Description: All three sonatas, Mystère and the 12 preludes of the Well-Tempered Cello date from 1924-26 and all employ a tonally ambiguous, modal atmosphere, with tinges of "exoticism" added to the sonatas, dynamic and eloquent, sometimes highly virtuosic, each of 10-11 minutes in length although each has three movements. Much more conservative is the set of Songs and Dances of 1954 (Georgian and Russian for the former, Tartar and Kazakh for the latter), written for Piatigorsky. Michal Kanka (cello), Miguel Borges Coelho (piano).