The compositions on this disc will be further assistance in putting Roslavets’ music in the spotlight. It will undoubtedly be recognised for the brilliance of its writing and the new direction that was being ploughed in that brief but exciting period of the early twentieth century in Russia. The Cello Sonata No.1 from 1921 launches itself straight into spiky rhythms without any preamble. Those listeners who might be put off in advance by the comparison with Schoenberg often, and I think incorrectly, made, should take heart as this is by no means full blown atonality. It is full of inventiveness characterised by beautifully lyrical lines tinged with the anguish so redolent in ‘the Russian soul’. The Sonata’s tortured cello line continues until half way when there is something of a more calming aspect that comes to the fore. The over-arching sadness returns to conclude the work. Overall it puts the players to the test as this is technically difficult music. It is to the credit of the two young players here that there is little hint of that. ‘Meditation’ opens with another very serious and reflective theme and its mood is maintained throughout. The Sonata No.2 at twice the length of the first is once again a meditative, introspective piece that pulls no punches in the emotion it conjures but contains some beautiful melodies, particularly in the piano parts that provide a counter to the cello’s more sombre mood. Dances of the White Maidens is the earliest work on the disc, dating as it does from 1912, and shows Roslavets as the innovator that other composers recognised him to be. The opening notes from the cello are more lyrical and less tortured though still soulful and the theme is worked on throughout the piece. As the liner-notes put it the work, takes one into “a mystical and ethereal universe” which is underlined when, at the end the instruments simply dissolve into silence. The final work, the Viola Sonata, transcribed for cello and piano is a lovely one with gorgeously rich harmonies that the two instruments weave between them. It repays frequent hearings, as do all the works here. The main theme is so full of passion that one regrets it when the end comes making you want more. It is the least difficult music on the disc and is immediately rewarding.

The two instruments in all the works here presented are equal partners, the piano having as much to say as the cello. The two young Bulgarian musicians are completely committed to communicating the essence of the music to their listeners. If you find this music as interesting and exciting as I do then I can wholeheartedly recommend that you also try the other Naxos disc of his Violin Sonatas 1, 4 and 6 and 3 Dances, on Naxos 8.557903.