The “SWR Kultur New Talent” is a promotion and support programme of the broadcasting coporation SWR aiming to help exceptional young talents to launch their career through concerts, studio productions and media presence for a period of three years. The cellist Lionel Martin has been the ‘SWR Kultur New Talent’ since 2021. In 2017 Anne-Sophie Mutter accepted Lionel Martin for her foundation of young, exceptional musicians. Since then he has repeatedly performed with her on stage and has been on tour together with her and her scholarship holders throughout Europe, North and South America – where he performed not only in big concert halls, but also for social projects in churches and old people’s homes.

The present EP is part of an album (SWR19159CD) which Lionel will release in November. His partner on the present recording of the Schostakovitch Sonata is his brother, Demian Martin.