Valérie Aimard, Cédric Lorel
AP433 - 1CD - 78' - Sep 18, 2026
Cassadó & Casals, a Catalan Legacy
2026 marks both the 60th anniversary of Gaspar Cassadó’s death and the 150th anniversary of Pablo Casals’s birth.
In this album, Valérie Aimard and Cédric Lorel pay tribute to these two towering Catalan cellists, both of whom were also composers. The full spectrum of Spanish colour resounds in Cassadó’s rarely performed Sonata in A minor, his flamboyant Requiebros, and his Suite for solo cello, which celebrates its centenary this year. In striking contrast, Casals’s youthful pieces and his deeply moving Cant dels ocells captivate through the simplicity of their poetic, dreamlike Romanticism.
Bound by a long-standing musical friendship, Valérie Aimard and Cédric Lorel illuminate the highly distinctive style of these two great masters: the passion of their musical gestures, the nobility of their expression, and the elegance of a singing line imbued with freedom.
Gaspar Cassadó (1897 - 1966)
1. Requiebros (1931) 5’09
« À mon très cher maître Pablo Casals »
Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973)
2. Pastorale (1893) 6’54
3. Rêverie (1896) 5’07
Gaspar Cassadó
4. Serenade for cello and piano (1925) 3’25
« À Madame la princesse Thurn und Taxis »
Suite for cello solo (1926)
« A Francesco von Mendelssohn con affettuosa e profunda amicizia »
5. I. Preludio – Fantasia 6’15
6. II. Sardana (Danza) 5’08
7. III. Intermezzo e danza finale 5’59
Pablo Casals
8. Romance for cello and piano (1897) 5’43
9. Feuillet d’album for cello and piano (1897) 3’22
Enrique Granados (1867 - 1916)
10. Intermezzo (from Goyescas, transc. Gaspar Cassadó, 1923) 4’44
Gaspar Cassadó
Sonata for cello and piano in A minor (1926)
« À Donna Giulietta Gordigiani von Mendelssohn »
11. I. Rapsodia 9’17
12. II. Aragonesa 4’22
13. III. Saeta 5’44
14. IV. Paso doble 3’13
Pablo Casals
15. El cant dels ocells (The Song of the Birds) 3’37
