Swans Mats Lidström & Leif Kaner-Lidström

• Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921): Le carnaval des animaux, R. 125:
• 1 Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux, R. 125: XIII. Le cygne (Version for Cello & Piano) 02:37
• Mats Lidström (b. 1959): The Swan:
• 2 Lidström: The Swan 03:43
• Karol Szymanowski (1882 - 1937): Łabędź, Op. 7:
• 3 Szymanowski: Łabędź, Op. 7 (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 03:58
• Camille Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux, R. 125:
• 4 Saint-Saëns: Le carnaval des animaux, R. 125: XIII. Le cygne (Arr. Godowsky for Cello & Piano) 02:39
• Leif Kaner-Lidström (b. 1995): The Swan:
• 5 Kaner-Lidström: The Swan 03:23
• Fanny Mendelssohn (1805 - 1847): 6 Lieder, Op. 1:
• 6 Mendelssohn: 6 Lieder, Op. 1: No. 1, Schwanenlied (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:10
• Jacques Arcadelt (1505 - 1568): Il bianco e dolce cigno:
• 7 Arcadelt: Il bianco e dolce cigno (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:19
• Hélène Tham (1843 - 1925): 9 Songs:
• 8 Tham: 9 Songs: No. 2, Svanen (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:12
• Orlando Gibbons (1583 - 1625): The Silver Swan:
• 9 Gibbons: The Silver Swan (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 01:50
• Reynaldo Hahn (1874 - 1947): Les cygnes:
• 10 Hahn: Les cygnes (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 03:39
• Bernhard Crusell (1775 - 1838): 3 Songs:
• 11 Crusell: 3 Songs: No. 3, Svanen (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 01:44
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Histoires naturelles, M. 50:
• 12 Ravel: Histoires naturelles, M. 50: III. Le cygne (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 03:23
• Fredrik Ehrström (1801 - 1850): Svanen:
• 13 Ehrström: Svanen (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 01:37
• Harry Farjeon (1878 - 1948): 3 Pieces: No. 1, Ein Schwanengesang:
• 14 Farjeon: 3 Pieces: No. 1, Ein Schwanengesang (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 03:19
• Selim Palmgren (1878 - 1951): 6 Lyric Pieces, Op. 28:
• 15 Palmgren: 6 Lyric Pieces, Op. 28: No. 5, Svanen (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:31
• Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887 - 1959): O canto do cisne negro, W122:
• 16 Villa-Lobos: O canto do cisne negro, W122 02:24
• Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924): Mirages, Op. 113:
• 17 Fauré: Mirages, Op. 113: I. Cygnes sur l’eau (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 03:05
• Charles Albert Stebbins (1874 - 1958): The Swan:
• 18 Stebbins: The Swan (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 03:12
• Homero de Sá Barreto (1884 - 1924): O cysne:
• 19 de Sá Barreto: O cysne (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:32
• Didier-Gaston de l'Aubergine (1887 - 1938): Le cygne regarde son reflet dans l'eau:
• 20 de l'Aubergine: Le cygne regarde son reflet dans l'eau (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 08:04
• Louis Moreau Gottschalk (1829 - 1869): The Dying Swan "Romance poétique", Op. 100, RO 76:
• 21 Gottschalk: The Dying Swan "Romance poétique", Op. 100, RO 76 (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 04:32
• Edvard Grieg (1843 - 1907): 6 Ibsen Songs, Op. 25:
• 22 Grieg: 6 Ibsen Songs, Op. 25: No. 2, En svane (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:02
• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Schwanengesang, D. 744:
• 23 Schubert: Schwanengesang, D. 744 (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:47
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893): Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a:
• 24 Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a: IV. Scene. Andante (Arr. Lidström for Cello & Piano) 02:02
• Total Runtime 01:11:44

Info for Swans

Inspired by Saint-Saëns’s iconic piece ‘The swan’ (‘Le cygne’) from The Carnival of the Animals, cellist Mats Lidström and his son Leif Kaner-Lidström present no fewer than 24 Swans from across the world and down the ages. Featuring composers as diverse as Fanny Mendelssohn, Orlando Gibbons, Ravel and Villa-Lobos, the album offers up two-dozen musical reflections on the unmistakable and much-loved Saint-Saëns original.

This is our first recording together. It is a major step—especially for the father, I think. When you take your child to school or swimming class, the prospect of appearing one day on stage together to perform great music somehow does not enter your mind.

Leif started piano lessons when he was eight. We would prepare his lesson with half an hour of piano practice immediately after school. I never had to focus on tone or touch. It was clear from the very first note Leif played that he had an in-built concept of beauty—which is wonderful, isn’t it, a child wishing to express beauty? I recall Leif’s first teacher, Graeme Humphrey, for thirty years professor at the Royal Academy of Music, telling him after a passage on the piano: ‘Remember, an audience always responds to warmth.’ The gift of playing beautifully is what signifies Leif’s musicianship. It affects not only the listener, but also those who make music with him. I can hear it in my own cello tone because of how Leif makes me listen.

When we started playing together, the big question was whether a father and a son on stage would come across as somewhat unexciting, a little too much of a family business up there. And would our decades-old domestic roles prove an obstacle during rehearsals? Would I expect my son always to follow my lead and to be given no room for discussion, like ‘son, I want a diminuendo in bar 5 and staccato in bar 6; and you need to take out the garbage in the break’? Would it prevent us from unleashing our individual talents and finding a mutual platform for passionate and romantic playing? Well, we quickly learned that none of that applied. The only time I am reminded of the fact I share the stage with my son is when we walk on and off. I can look at him as we take the applause, and somewhat overwhelmed I confirm that it is in fact Leif standing there next to me. Music is powerful. It engages—and takes over, and in that lies a privilege: we are there to serve the music, to unspin our powers and commit. So, no time, really, to ponder over family ties. ...

Mats Lidström, cello
Leif Kaner-Lidström, piano

Mats Lidström
As an international soloist and chamber musician, Mats Lidström has gained a reputation for performances of great insight and virtuosity. He has been a member of the Royal Academy of Music since 1993, and is currently attached to Oxford University through his solo cello position with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Soloists. Mats has recorded as a soloist and chamber musician for Hyperion, EMI, Decca, BIS and Deutsche Grammophon.

His compositions, including three cello concertos, are available, along with his transcriptions, educational material and recital pieces for young cellists, through his publishing company cellolid.com (distributed by Stainer & Bell) and nkoda.com. Mats has led the cello sections of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal Swedish Opera, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic and Mahler Chamber Orchestra, as well as the major orchestras of Sweden.

Mats is the founder of the annual cello course ‘EXPANSION’. He comes from a family with more than a hundred years of involvement with the arts, from opera soloists and instrumentalists to prima ballerinas, conductors and artists. His ancestor Richard Dybeck wrote the Swedish national anthem.

Leif Kaner-Lidström
is a pianist and composer known for his ability to play with a soft, controlled and expressive touch, producing a singing tone that captivates listeners. His versatility stems from an open, improvised approach to classical music, allowing him to adapt fluidly to other genres. Leif studied under professor Dina Parakhina at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and, prior to his higher education, with Graeme Humphrey of the Royal Academy of Music.

As a classically trained pianist deeply involved in the UK jazz scene, Leif is also a member of the boundary-pushing Levitation Orchestra, known for exploring new frontiers in jazz through collective composition. Leif’s recent recording project, In Search of Beauty, features original compositions for piano, electric guitar, bass, drums and saxophone.

Leif has worked with Academy Award-nominated singer Celeste, regularly tours with four-time Grammy winner and mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, and is a core member of the highly acclaimed Jess Gillam Ensemble.

Under the pseudonym Erik Sigurd, Leif has released a substantial catalogue of improvised piano music, garnering millions of streams worldwide. He has also composed scores for film, collaborating with production companies including Netflix, BFI Film Network and Film4.

Booklet for Swans