Cassadó: Sonate, Suite / Casals: Cello Pieces – Valérie Aimard

2026 marks both the 60th anniversary of the passing of Gaspar Cassadó and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Pablo Casals.
On this album, Valérie Aimard and Cédric Lorel pay tribute to these two immense Catalan cellists, both of whom were also composers. All the colors of Spain resonate in G. Cassadó’s extremely rare Sonata in A minor, in his flamboyant Requiebros, and in his Suite for Solo Cello, which is celebrating its centenary. In striking contrast, P. Casals’s early pieces and his deeply moving “Cant dels ocells” charm through the simplicity of their poetic, dreamy romanticism.
Bound by a long musical friendship, Valérie Aimard and Cédric Lorel illuminate the characteristic style of these two great Masters: fiery musical expression, nobility of discourse, and the elegance of a song imbued with freedom.