Moonlight Variations

Description

Pablo Ferrandez, the internationally renowned cellist with over 25,000 albums sold and 70M streams of his last two projects, fulfills a twenty-year dream with his new album « Moonlight Variations ». In it, he pairs Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, a work full of momentum and virtuosity, with a selection of melancholic nocturnes, creating a musical journey he describes as "the night followed by the day."For a long time, Pablo Ferrandez has been fascinated by the nocturnal world. In this album, he brings together eleven carefully selected pieces, signed by composers such as Antonin Dvorak and Manuel Ponce, which evoke emotional intimacy during the dark hours. He adapted for the cello various works: lieder, piano nocturnes, pieces for violin, and even an opera aria. "I feel more creative at night," he confides. "And I am not alone: many composers have written works marked by this particular atmosphere. They all felt a change in the world once the sun had set."Recorded in Örebro with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Martin Frost, the album includes, in addition to the Rococo Variations, excerpts from Liszt's Liebestraum and Schumann's Kinderszenen, as well as transcriptions of nocturnes by Chopin and lieder by Schubert and Debussy. Two other works by Tchaikovsky also appear, including his own transcription for cello and orchestra of the Nocturne from the Six pieces for piano."We chose to adapt these works while remaining faithful to the cello, while preserving their original essence," explains Pablo Ferrandez. "The idea was to give each piece its own personality, which aligns with the particularities of my instrument. I naturally thought of song, of that deeply human form of expression. That is also why I love playing lieder so much: with the cello, we always seek to sing."