Leokadiya Kashperova (1872–1940) was a brilliant Russian composer and pianist whose music once captivated audiences across Europe. As teacher and mentor to the young Igor Stravinsky, she also helped shape one of the twentieth century’s most influential composers. Celebrated in her lifetime, Kashperova and her music were largely forgotten after the Russian Revolution. Today, her rediscovery reveals an original and compelling musical voice that deserves to be heard again.

Already acclaimed as a prize-winning pianist, Kashperova launched her composing career with two cello sonatas of remarkable confidence and originality. Published as her Opus 1, they combine intensely poetic cello writing with a piano part of dazzling brilliance and technical ambition. Echoes of Brahms, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and her teacher Anton Rubinstein are transformed through Kashperova’s distinctive imagination. Bridging the musical worlds of Rubinstein and Rachmaninov, the sonatas bring fresh energy, emotional depth and individuality to the Romantic repertoire.

Cellist Janne Fredens and pianist Søren Rastogi were immediately captivated by the sonatas’ melodic richness, emotional power and imaginative writing. Kashperova’s soaring melodic lines allow the cello to sing, while the virtuosic piano part rivals Rachmaninov in brilliance and intensity. Through patient musical detective work, the two performers uncovered the subtle motifs and disciplined structures beneath the music’s passionate surface. With few previous performances to guide them, they embraced experimentation and interpretative risk, revealing the sonatas’ vivid colours, dramatic contrasts and remarkable emotional range, and affirming Kashperova’s rightful place on the international concert stage.