Introduction

Over the years, Doris Hochscheid and Frans van Ruth have built up a joint repertoire of some 100 compositions, ranging from J.S. Bach’s gamba sonatas to a growing number of pieces that have been especially composed for them.

The duo have received much critical acclaim for their striking programming of Mendelssohn’s Second Cello Sonata in combination with a nineteenth-century transcription of Schumann’s Second Violin Sonata, for their provocative interpretation of Richard Strauss’ youthful Sonata and for their richly-coloured rendering of Debussy’s Sonata. Doris Hochscheid and Frans van Ruth also devote their energies to the challenge of performing contemporary composition.

Roderik de Man is among those Dutch composers and other composers resident in the Netherlands who have been commissioned to compose works for the pair. His composition Cordes invisibles for cello, piano and tape won first prize at the 2005 Competition for Electro-acoustic Music in Bourges. The duo has also given world premières of works by leading foreign composers such as Mark Anthony Turnage (Two Vocalises, Amsterdam 2001) and Krzysztof Meyer (Cello Sonata No. 2, 2006 Kiev Music Festival).