Debut CD of two young Slovene musicians – cellist Nikolaj Sajko and pianist Miha Haas – contains compositions for cello and piano which offer the listener an equal dialogue of the two instruments, thus creating a multilayered world of musical narratives. Full track listing: Edvard Grieg: Sonata in a minor op. 36 for Piano and Violoncello 1. Allegro agitato 2. Andante molto tranquillo 3. Allegro molto e marcato Risto Savin: Sonata, op. 22 4. Allegro moderato 5. Andante – Allegretto – Tempo I 6. Allegro molto (quasi Presto) 7. Bohuslav Martinu: Variations on a Theme of Rossini for Violoncello and Piano 8. Blaž Pucihar: Summer Sonata op. 8 for Violoncello and Piano "Writing a chamber music masterpiece, which thrills both the audience and the performers with the same amount of enthusiasm, is definitely an exceptionally demanding task for a composer. All too often it occurs that the final interpretation turns out to be a mere approximation of performers' tendencies. If they wished to overcome acoustic differences of instruments which directly influence the way of one's thinking concepts, their efforts would have to blend into a whole. The Sonata for Piano and Cello in a-minor op. 36 (1883) by Edward Grieg (1843 –1907) is no part of the latter category. The composer puts the cello part into a position that enables a maximum outcome of the instrument so that it can be an equal partner even in sections of dense and eruptive sound mass. In this way, the pianist does not need to renounce the concert component of the piano sound while dealing with exceptionally demanding technical elements." (Miha Haas) Grieg was not entirely pleased with this composition; however its place in the cello repertoire is firmly established. The first movement Allegro agitato reveals virtuosity as well as the warmth and lyricism typical of the composer's songs and miniatures. The thematic material of the Andante is derived from Grieg's orchestral suite Sigurd Jorsalfar (1872). A thunderstorm arises from the tenderness of the initial melody and its recapitulation brings back the peacefulness from the opening. In the third movement Finale one can hear a lively dance with a note of folklore; its power and ecstasy remind us of Grieg's Lyrical Pieces for piano. During his Vienna years Risto Savin (a pseudonym of Friderik Širca, 1859–1948) was earning a living as a military officer, geography teacher and as a choirmaster. It was during this period that he made acquaintances with a great deal of important composers, including Grieg, whom he remained in correspondence with also later on. The musical life of Vienna was of vital importance for the development of his musical language. The Sonata for cello and piano was written in 1920 and is distinctive by its firm thematic formation as well as a variety of technical and expressional possibilities. Its spirit is late romanticism, especially present in the first movement which also stands out as the most harmonically progressive. The cello part properly exploits musical possibilities of the instrument, while the piano part with its lavishness of sound often appears in the foreground. "In the Sonata for cello and piano Risto Savin relates to the romantic tradition of Brahms, Mendelssohn and Grieg. Performers have a delicate task of balancing the sound of both instruments, as the cello part often appears in the lower register while the piano with its compact chords occupies the range above the cello line. Particularly in the first movement the composer allowed the performers greater freedom of interpretation, adaptation of dynamics and tempi as the dynamic markings appear sparsely and for bigger sections only. They often do not show the actual dynamic level, but only stand as guidelines to the emotional character of the section. When one grasps the emotional message of the piece, all of its difficulties disappear in rich and passionate mixture of sounds." (Nikolaj Sajko) Baroque music of Corelli, impressionism of Debussy, neoclassicism of Stravinsky, American jazz and Czech folk music - all these form a broad spectrum of influences that resulted in a unique musical language of Bohuslav Martinu (1890–1959). His music often combines the lively jazzy rhythms with an individual harmonic chromaticism. The Variations on a Theme by Rossini were composed in October 1942 in collaboration with the cellist Gregor Piatigorski to whom the piece is also dedicated. Seeking for a new, interesting and suitably demanding repertoire he gave the first performance of the work on May 1st 1943 in New York. The theme of the variations is derived from the prayer Dal tuo stellato soglio from the 3rd act of Rossini's opera Moses in Egypt. The piece is technically demanding for the cello so in spite of its musical qualities it is rarely performed on concert stage. Martinu's opus for cello consists of three sonatas and two sets of variations as well as some shorter pieces. Most of these were dedicated to prominent cellists whose performances on stage established the compositions’ popularity in the cello repertoire of the 20th century. "In Martinu’s Variations on a Theme by Rossini the famous cheerfully optimistic tune becomes a paraphrase which swiftly shifts from lightly humorous to heavily grotesque and even dissonant. Theme elements occur as fragments between the virtuoso passages of one-bow spiccati and staccati. With recognizable bits of melodic form they maintain excitement and bring serenity after the grotesquely disassembled modern material returns to the familiarity of the original operatic theme." (Nikolaj Sajko) Blaz Pucihar (1977) on his piece: "Created in the heat of summer 2005 as a spontaneous idea of relaxed improvisation, the Summer Sonata pulled a short sonata form out of me which in its content reveals a wide range of emotions. These always represent the upgrading of the technical aspect of the piece. In three short movements children’s play, humour, desire, joy and gloom are weaved together. Only the clean joint performance of the two instruments that appear as absolutely balanced narrators shall allow these to flourish."