In his newest release, cellist Bion Tsang returns to Glasgow, Scotland for his second recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conductor Scott Yoo. CANTABILE, available from Universal Music Group on digital platforms tomorrow, April 14, and on CD in May 2023, features two works by Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Op. 33) and Andante Cantabile (Op. 11), and Schumann's Cello Concerto, bookended by two renditions of Pablo Casals' "Song of the Birds."
CANTABILE opens with Casals' "Song of the Birds" for cello and orchestra, setting an intention for the album's romantic arc. The mood lifts with the elegant and virtuosic Variations on a Rococo Theme of Tchaikovsky, which is followed by the heart-wrenching Schumann Cello Concerto. The beloved, lyrical Andante Cantabile by Tchaikovksy and Tsang's own arrangement for unaccompanied cello of "Song of the Birds" complete the album.
The making of Tsang's album appears in Season 4 of PBS Great Performances NOW HEAR THIS, an episode devoted to exploring Schumann's mental health and creativity. Tsang and Yoo are seen discussing the alterations made to Schumann's manuscript of the Cello Concerto, which they feel ultimately changed the emotional concept of the original work. NOW HEAR THIS episode "Schumann: Genius and Madness" premieres April 14 worldwide on PBS (check local listings).
"I am so thrilled to have these two projects release simultaneously," says Tsang. "It was such a joy to once again collaborate with Scott Yoo and the RSNO. With the addition of Harry Lynch and the NHT crew, we were able to delve more deeply into Schumann's own experience and his possible motivations in composing the cello concerto."
"My father, Paul Ja-Min Tsang, aspired to be a singer," says Michigan-born Tsang, who dedicated CANTABILE to his father's memory. "Born in Shanghai, raised in the Fujian province in the 1940s and Taiwan in the 1950s, he was steered towards science and not afforded that opportunity.
"From my first concerto performance in 1979, he supported me to become a concert cellist. I'm grateful that he lived to see my dreams come true before his death in 1998. My dad loved the cello for its singing voice and always encouraged me to find my voice as a musician."