Zoltán Kodály's Sonata for Solo Cello - Truls Mørk

To be released April 10, 2026

The year 1915 marked a tectonic shift in the history of the cello. When Zoltán Kodály completed his Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8, he did not merely write a piece of music; he excavated a new sonic language from the Hungarian soil. The sonata is widely regarded as the most significant work for unaccompanied cello since Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites. It is celebrated for its daunting virtuosity, expanding the instrument's technical and expressive boundaries through a fusion of Hungarian folk music and modern 20th-century influences. The piece requires the cellist to tune the two lowest strings (G and C) down a half-step to F# and B. This adjustment deepens the instrument's resonance and facilitates the work's primary tonality of B minor. Kodály, who spent years traversing the countryside with Béla Bartók to document peasant songs, infused this sonata with the raw source of Hungarian folk music. It is a work that breathes with the irregular rhythms of the Hungarian language and the mournful sighs of the tárogató. It utilizes advanced techniques such as extensive thumb position, complex harmonics, rapid string crossings, and simultaneous pizzicato and arco. Although written in 1915, its first performance was delayed by World War I until May 7, 1918, in Budapest by cellist Jenö Kerpely. The work was famously championed by Hungarian cellist János Starker, whose recordings and edited editions helped establish it as a staple of the professional cello repertoire. 

Recording sessions Photo Gallery

Truls Mørk is known for his fierce intensity, technical brilliance, and luminous tone. Born in 1961 into a musical family in Bergen, he began his studies with his father before training with masters such as Frans Helmerson, Heinrich Schiff, and Natalia Shakhovskaya. In 1982, he became the first Scandinavian to reach the finals and win the prestigious Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition. He regularly performs with world-class orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and Royal Concertgebouw, working with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen. A dedicated champion of modern music, Mørk has premiered over 30 new works by composers including Penderecki and Rautavaara. His extensive discography has earned numerous honors, including a Grammy Award for his recording of the Britten Cello Suites. Mørk is also a respected educator, holding a professorship at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He plays a 1723 Domenico Montagnana, often referred to as the «Esquire», known for its immense, warm, and broad sound.

This recording was initiated by film producer Stein-Roger Bull as the soundtrack for Jo Strømgrens dance movie CLOSED. The music was recorded in Jar Church outside Oslo by balance engineer and music producer Morten Lindberg. 

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