Podcasts about Cello concerto

Admit it: if you're a fan of classical music—or even just a regular concertgoer—you might have glanced at the title of this episode and done a double take. The Dvořák Violin Concerto? Not the Cello Concerto? One of the things I love about my job as a conductor—and my side gig as a podcast host—is bringing audiences and listeners like you pieces you may never have heard before, even if they're by extremely well-known composers. Don't get me wrong, I love the blockbusters. But there's a special thrill in introducing someone to something new. Now, some of you might already be big fans of the Dvořák Violin Concerto. But in my experience, it's relatively unknown compared to Dvořák's more famous works. I've never performed it myself, and I've only heard it live once. It's not part of most touring soloists' repertoire, and it's just one of those pieces that rarely comes up—especially compared to the Cello Concerto, which I think I've conducted at least once every season since becoming a conductor. This concerto came about much like the Brahms Violin Concerto, the Brahms Double Concerto we talked about a couple of weeks ago, and so many other great 19th-century works: inspired by the sound of Joseph Joachim's violin. Joachim was the great violinist of the 19th century and had been a friend and supporter of Dvořák for many years. Dvořák ended up dedicating the concerto to Joachim, writing: "I dedicate this work to the great Maestro Jos. Joachim, with the deepest respect, Ant. Dvořák." Sadly—and for reasons that remain somewhat unclear—Joachim never performed the piece. That may be one of the reasons it's never achieved the popularity it deserves. Today, in this Patreon-sponsored episode, we'll dive into the concerto, exploring its unusual form, the myriad challenges it poses for the violinist, and perhaps some reasons why it's not part of the so-called “Big Five” violin concertos—even though it probably deserves to be.

E- und U-Musik, elektronische und akustische. Diamorphosis von Iannis Xenakis, Cello Concerto op. 10 von Maria Herz, Serpentine von Peaches, Information needed to create an entire body von Catarina Barbieri, Song for Johnny - in memory of Johnny Dyani von Irène Schweizer und Hamid Drake und Fury, eine Komposition für Kontrabass, von Rebecca Saunders

Donald Macleod delves into some of Edward Elgar's greatest passions.Edward Elgar was a man of many passions, from cycling to chemistry. This week, Donald Macleod explores five Elgar's greatest passions. Music Featured: Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 Caractacus, Op 35 (Scene 3, excerpt) Pomp and Circumstance March No 3 in C minor The Spirit of England, Op. 80 (No 3, For the Fallen) Coronation Ode, Op 44 (Crown the King) Salut D'Amour, Op 12 The Wind at Dawn 2 Partsongs, Op 26 (No 2, Fly, Singing Bird) String Quartet in E minor, Op 83 (2nd mvt) Cello Concerto in E minor, Op 85 Ave Verum Corpus, Op 2, No 1 The Dream of Gerontius, Op 38 (excerpt from Part 2) The Apostles, Op 49 (excerpt from Part 1) The Kingdom, Op 51 (Prelude) Te Deum, Op 34 No 1 Enigma Variations, Op 36 Violin Concerto in B minor, Op 61 (2nd mvt) Carissima Five Part-songs from The Greek Anthology, Op 45 Sea Pictures, Op 37 (No 2, In Haven) Introduction & Allegro for strings, Op 47 Land of Hope and Glory Symphony No 1 in A flat major, Op 55 (4th mvt)Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Alice McKee for BBC Audio Wales & WestFor full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edward Elgar (1857-1934) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002bw86 And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we've featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

Working amidst political and personal setbacks, Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-96) flourished as a composer, admired by Shostakovich and championed by the leading Soviet musicians of the day. His death in Moscow in 1996, however, went largely unnoticed. More happily, his extensive catalogue has recently secured an increasing number of performances and recordings, witness this Naxos release of his complete music for cello and orchestra, works written largely during the earlier part of his maturity. Raymond Bisha introduces the Cello Concertino, the Cello Concerto, and the Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra.

Daniela Candillari grew up in Serbia and Slovenia.  She holds a Doctorate in Musicology from the Universität für Musik in Vienna, a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a Master of Music and Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance from the Universität für Musik in Graz. She is also a Fulbright Scholarship recipient.Daniela is in her fourth season as principal conductor at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. In celebration of its 50th anniversary season, she is conducting the company's 44th world premiere, This House, with music by Ricky Ian Gordon and libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and her daughter, Ruby Aiyo Gerber.Daniela made her New York Philharmonic debut in its inaugural season in the new David Geffen Hall, conducting cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Elgar's Cello Concerto.  And she made her “Carnegie Hall Presents” debut leading the American Composers Orchestra in a program of premieres.  Other engagements include debuts with the Metropolitan Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin, and productions with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Minnesota Opera, Detroit Opera, Orchestre Métropolitan Montreal, and Classical Tahoe Festival.Finally, Daniela has been commissioned by established artists including instrumentalists from the Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as the three resident orchestras of Lincoln Center: the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet. She is deeply involved with Music Academy of the West's programming for young artists and she recently participated in master classes and discussions at DePaul University, Chicago Humanities Festival, and Valissima Institute.It's a pleasure to have her with me on this episode.

It's hard to overstate the depth of the connection between Dmitri Shostakovich and the legendary cellist Mstistlav Rostropovich. Shostakovich and Rostropovich were extremely close friends, and Shostakovich wrote and dedicated several works to him, including the piece we're going to talk about today, the first Cello Concerto. Rostropovich had been desperate to get Shostakovich to write a concerto for him, but Shostakovich's wife had one simple piece of advice: if you want Shostakovich to write something for you, don't talk to him about it or even mention it. So Rostropovich waited and waited, until July of 1959, when he was asked by Shostakovich to come to Leningrad to try out a new Cello Concerto. Shostakovich played through the piece for Rostropovich, turned to him, and asked him if he liked it. Rostropovich apparently told Shostakovich that he “had been shaken to the core.” Shostakovich, in his famously modest way, then shakily asked Rostropovich if he could dedicate the concerto to him. Rostropovich immediately agreed, and then rushed off to learn the concerto as quickly as possible. He learned the entire concerto in 3 days, then returned to Shostakovich and played it for him by heart. The concerto is practically stamped with Rostropovich's name, which is why I'll be using a recording of a live performance of Rostropovich during the show today, though I must say I also recommend a pretty great modern recording by a certain cellist who is also my sister, Alisa Weilerstein. This concerto has always been one of my favorites; it is compact, powerful, punchy, beautiful, intense, concentrated, and tremendously exciting. For me, it is one of Shostakovich's most Beethovenian works, in its lean power and its obsession with a single motive. Today on this fundraiser sponsored show, we'll talk through this fantastic concerto, and explore just what makes its momentum so inevitable and so thrilling from start to finish. Join us!

ReferencesJ Lipid Res. 2016 Aug;57(8):1492–1506. J Exp Med . 2023 Aug 29;220(11):e20222105Haydn, J. Michael. 1800. Cello Concerto in B Majorhttps://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku9ffFEpD1s&si=Q40BeMIu80QigUkETelemann, G.P. 1733. Taflemusik completehttps://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mK3VavgrojEQtggjZXu-OyCC8o_f1AtOY&si=TTY79acbCrnxUbUeBerry, Chuck.1958. "Johnny B Goode. Grateful Dead; live coverhttps://music.youtube.com/watch?v=qjqDN0nT-8M&si=99kYkCxdfLsN9Qcz

Carl Stamitz - Cello Concerto: RomanceChristian Benda, cello Prague Chamber OrchestraMore info about today's track: Naxos 8.550865Courtesy of Naxos of America Inc.SubscribeYou can subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts, or by using the Daily Download podcast RSS feed.Purchase this recordingAmazon

All Classical Radio's Director of Music and Programming John Pitman recently spoke with John-Henry Crawford. Since the Louisiana-based cellist's 2021 debut, Dialogo, Crawford has always had "dialogues" with the composers whose music he performs, and his album featuring Dvořák's Cello Concerto and Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme, is no exception. Keep reading on the All Classical Arts Blog: https://www.allclassical.org/pitman-reviews-jhc/

In this exclusive interview, Nick Zanetti sits down with Johannes Moser, one of the most brilliant cellists of our time. Hailed by Gramophone magazine as "one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists," Johannes Moser has performed with the world's leading orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many more. He has worked with legendary conductors including Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel, and others. Johannes shares his experiences on tour, his passion for music, and the importance of innovation in his field. He also talks about his commitment to expanding the classical repertoire by commissioning new works from contemporary composers, and his dedication to teaching. He has collaborated with artists like Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, and Leonidas Kavakos, and participated in international festivals such as the Verbier and Gstaad Festivals. In the 2024/25 season, Johannes will have the privilege of performing the world premiere of Anna Thorvaldsdottir's Cello Concerto with the San Francisco Symphony, and will collaborate with major orchestras like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Don't miss this unique opportunity to discover the secrets of one of the greatest cellists of his generation, as he discusses music, nutrition, and how he keeps his body and mind at their best for his performances. In questa intervista esclusiva, Nick Zanetti parla con Johannes Moser, uno dei più brillanti violoncellisti del nostro tempo. Acclamato dalla rivista Gramophone come "uno dei più straordinari tra i giovani violoncellisti", Johannes Moser ha collaborato con le orchestre più prestigiose al mondo, come la Berliner Philharmoniker, la New York Philharmonic, la Los Angeles Philharmonic e molte altre. È stato diretto da leggendari direttori d'orchestra come Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel e molti altri. Johannes condivide la sua esperienza in tournée, la passione per la musica e l'importanza dell'innovazione nel suo campo. Parla anche del suo impegno per ampliare il repertorio classico, commissionando nuove opere a compositori contemporanei e la sua dedizione nell'insegnamento. Ha lavorato con artisti di fama come Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell e Leonidas Kavakos, e ha partecipato a festival internazionali come il Verbier Festival e il Gstaad Festival. Nella stagione 2024/25, Johannes avrà il privilegio di eseguire la prima mondiale del Concerto per Violoncello di Anna Thorvaldsdottir con la San Francisco Symphony e di collaborare con importanti orchestre come la Chicago Symphony Orchestra e la Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Non perdere questa opportunità unica di scoprire i segreti di uno dei più grandi violoncellisti della sua generazione, mentre discute di musica, nutrizione, e come mantiene il suo corpo e la sua mente al meglio per le sue esibizioni.

Rachmaninov's majestic First Symphony churns with youthful romantic fervor and ethereal mystery — perfect for a December outing. Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, inspired by Norway's national folk hero, includes the instantly familiar dream-like fantasy of “The Hall of the Mountain King.” Johannes Moser brings his “remarkably visceral and vivid playing” (Gramophone) to Lutosławski's wild and enchanting Cello Concerto. Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/grieg-and-rachmaninov

On November 16 and 17, the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony will present a dazzling program at the Troy Savings Banks Music Hall in Troy, New York. The concerts will include Smetana's “Moldau,” Joan Tower's Cello Concerto, “A New Day,” and Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” To tell us more we welcome Music Director David Alan Miller.

In this episode of One Symphony with conductor Devin Patrick Hughes, Devin has an inspiring conversation with bass virtuoso and composer Kebra Seyoun Charles. From their early exposure to African drumming and gospel music to becoming a celebrated classical musician, Charles shares their unique journey and vision for the future of classical music through their "Counter Classical" style. Charles's work embodies a fresh perspective on classical music's future, one that honors tradition while embracing innovation and inclusivity. Their approach shows that classical music's evolution doesn't require abandoning its foundations, but rather expanding its boundaries to embrace diverse influences and experiences. As they put it, "Classical music is so beautiful and so ephemeral and it can't be contained." Charles explores growing up in a musical household and how that led to their disvoery of the film composer, Erich Woflgang Korngold. They also discuss the autobiographical ballet project, Enby, that's based on their experience as a nonbinary person developing in the world.  Kebra-Seyoun Charles is able to give prominence to the dance qualities in all forms of music. Kebra-Seyoun has performed alongside esteemed improvisers and composers such as Jon Batiste, at Carnegie Hall, and Tyshawn Sorey, at the New England Conservatory. Kebra-Seyoun was also featured in “Slugs' Saloon” at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, an interactive installation created by famed jazz musician and composer Jason Moran. Kebra-Seyoun Charles is also a passionate chamber musician. Playing with groups like East Coast Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, Palaver Strings, and the Sphinx Virtuosi afford Kebra the opportunity to showcase virtuosity while still playing within an ensemble. A prime example of this is their tenure on the 2019 Emmy award-winning Broadway production “Hadestown”. Thank you for joining us on One Symphony. Thanks to Kebra-Seyoun Charles for sharing their amazing spirit and music-making. You can find  more info at https://www.kscharles.com. Recordings from the episode include:  Koussevitsky: Concerto for Double Bass, First Movement. Featuring Kebra-Seyoun Charles on Double Bass. Performed with the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, Benjamin Zander conducting. Dating in NY. Composed by Kebra-Seyoun Charles. Featuring Charles on bass and musicians from the Juilliard School.  The third movement from Andres Martin's Bass Concerto. Performed by Charles with the New World Symphony under the direction of Chad Goodman. First movement from Erich Korngold's Piano Quintet, op. 15. Performed by the ARC Ensemble from the Royal Conservatory, Toronto.  Erich Korngold's Cello Concerto in One Movement. Featuring Victor Julien-Laferrière on cello performing with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony. Conducted by Marie Jacquot. “Another Breakup Song.” Composed by Kebra-seyoun Charles. Featuring Charles on bass. Kayla Williams on viola, Joseph Brent on mandolin, Sommer Alteir on violin, and Kabir Adiya-Kumar on percussion.  “Galaxy,” composed by Xavier Foley. Featuring Kebra-seyoun Charles and Xavier Foley on bass accompanied by the Sphinx Virtuosi.  Holdberg Suite. Composed by Edvard Grieg. Performed by the Palaver Strings featuring Kebra-Seyoun Charles on bass.  You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org or DevinPatrickHughes.com including a virtual tip jar if you'd like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music.   

57 Nicholas Tsang: Award-Winning Cellist, New England Conservatory Student, CCM Cello Concerto Competition, Hellam Competition Winner & International Soloist 曾文弢: 獲獎大提琴家、新英格蘭音樂學院學生、辛辛那提音樂學院協奏曲比賽、赫兰姆青年藝術比賽優勝者及國際獨奏家Interviewer: Contributed by an anonymous volunteer採訪者: 匿名志願者採訪問題貢獻者: 蔣沛芸Question Contributors: Wendy Chong

On this week's episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,' cellist Jan Vogler presents the world premiere recording of the Cello Concerto by Enrique Casals, as well as a more familiar one, on his latest album. Listen now!

We would love to hear from you, wherever you are!https://www.perfectpitchpod.com/contact/@NickHelyHutchThank you for listening - please do get in touch with any comments!

Since winning BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2012, aged 15, Laura van der Heijden has enjoyed a career as a cellist to watch. She's a Chandos artist, recording both as a soloist and also as part of Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. This month she makes her concerto debut with an album of three British cello concertos, Frank Bridge's Oration, Sir William Walton's Cello Concerto (the work she played for the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition) and Cheryl Frances-Hoad's new cello concerto, Earth-Sea-Air. She is joined by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth. James Jolly recently went to speak to Laura about the new release. You can also hear Cheryl Frances-Hoad's cello concerto, Earth-Sea-Air, at the BBC Proms on Friday, July 26 joined by the same performers as on the new recording.

We're invited to journey into the enchanting realm of nature's melodies with "Echoes of Seasons," a concert featuring cello soloist Elizabeth Tan's captivating rendition of Haydn's sublime Cello Concerto in D major, and subsequently, under the guidance of Artistic Director Ergys Koni, the stage transforms into a vibrant canvas, as Vivaldi's timeless masterpiece, "The Four Seasons," unfolds. Presented by Kamerata KL in collaboration with the UCSI Institute of Music, we're set to experience the expressive richness of the cello with Haydn's signature wit and charm, and then Vivaldi's lively rebirth of "Spring" to the poignant chill of "Winter,". Elizabeth and Ergys join us to share more.

DescriptionNinety Years ago Sir Edward Elgar passed away. Throughout his life he was plagued by illness. Take a minute to get the scoop!Fun FactThe last major work composed by Sir Edward Elgar was his Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85. Elgar completed the concerto in 1919, and it was premiered in London in 1919 by the cellist Felix Salmond. The concerto is known for its emotional depth and expressive melodies, and it has become one of the most popular and frequently performed cello concertos in the repertoire. Elgar also composed a few smaller works after the Cello Concerto, including the Severn Suite for brass band, Op. 87, which was completed in 1930.__________________________________________________________________About Steven, HostSteven is a Canadian composer & actor living in Toronto. Through his music, he creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his music website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.__________________________________________________________________You can FOLLOW ME on Instagram.

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, hailed by The New Yorker as “a cellist of blazing sensitivity,” makes his CSO debut in Elgar's rhapsodic Cello Concerto. Paavo Järvi conducts Nielsen's Fifth Symphony, a visceral, dramatic work exploring humanity's potential for conflict, born in the aftermath of World War I. Beethoven's jubilant hymn to liberty opens the program. Learn more: cso.org/performances/23-24/cso-classical/sheku-kanneh-mason-plays-elgar

Timothy Ridout won last year's Concerto category at the Gramophone Awards for his Harmonia Mundi recording, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins, of Elgar's Cello Concerto transcribed by Lionel Tertis for viola, alongside the Bloch Suite for Viola and Orchestra. His new HM release continues his exploration of the huge role that Tertis played in the history of the viola, as player, teacher, arranger and champion of the instrument. Ridout's new double album, for which he's joined by pianists Frank Dupree and James Baillieu, includes sonatas by York Bowen and Rebecca Clarke, as well as many shorter works with powerful links to Tertis. James Jolly met up with Timothy to talk about the album, and the place that Tertis holds for viola-players.

Laura Tunbridge chooses her favourite recording of Schumann's Cello Concerto

When you think of the genre of the concerto, you might be thinking of something like this: virtuoso fireworks, perhaps over romantic gestures designed simply to show the soloist off, and a rather pedestrian orchestral part, giving the soloist all of the spotlight while the conductor and orchestra are mere accompanists.  Of course, this is a huge generalization and it isn't true about many concertos.  But of all of the concertos that I conduct regularly, and hear regularly, there is one that always stands out as the exception to the rule: Dvorak's Cello Concerto.  The Dvorak deserves every bit of popularity it has received over the years. In fact, you could argue that it is THE perfect concerto.  It's enjoyable to play, perfectly written for the cello, enjoyable to listen to, and enjoyable to accompany for the orchestra. It has everything, which makes it all the more shocking to think that before Dvorak wrote the piece, he didn't even think of the cello as a suitable instrument for a solo piece!   But once convinced of the cello's viability as a solo instrument, Dvorak gave everything to to the piece. We'll talk all about the sometimes tragic history behind the writing of the concerto, the specific difficulties it places on the cellist, the conductor, and the orchestra, and of course, go through the piece in detail, pointing out all the different facets that result in the Dvorak being perhaps the greatest of all concertos. Join us! Cellist: Miklos Perenyi 

For more than a year now, I've been obsessed with TÁR, the 2022 Todd Field film starring Cate Blanchett as an orchestral conductor whose power plays lead to her devastating downfall. Yes, the story is gripping and suspenseful, but it's the music interlaced throughout the film that keeps me coming back. Aside from the two works performed in the film — Mahler's Fifth Symphony and Elgar's Cello Concerto — which were baked into Field's script, the music you hear throughout TÁR is the result of months of work by the film's music supervisor, Lucy Bright. A specialist in the arenas of film and television scoring, Bright has worked with some of today's biggest composers — including Nico Muhly, Michael Nyman, and Volker Bertelmann — on projects ranging from Assassin's Creed to Aftersun and The Iron Claw. But what exactly does a music supervisor do on a film of this scale? Turns out, it's a lot.  From working with a team of on-set sound engineers who specialize in recording symphony orchestras to developing the film's Deutsche Grammophon concept album and recreating Urbie Green's 1967 recording of "Twenty-one Trombones," Bright was kept busy managing countless aspects of the film's musical atmosphere across three countries. In this episode of the Classical Post podcast, I speak with Bright about the expert levels of coordination and collaboration vital to her work, working with the Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir to realize Lydia Tár's compositions, and what it was like seeing Cate Blanchett raise a baton to conduct Mahler. Plus, she shares her fascinating history with modern architecture, her go-to burger place in New York City, and the therapeutic benefits of swimming in the natural springs of London's Hampstead Heath. Stream TÁR (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or wherever you stream music. - Classical Post® is created and produced by Gold Sound Media® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can grow your audience to make a lasting impact in your community.

We are excited to kick off 2024 with the CSO's new podcast! Hear from Yuriy Bekker, Artistic Director & Concertmaster, and Alana Morrall, Director of Marketing, in advance of our upcoming Masterworks concert on January 12 & 13, 2024. Featuring the Academic Festival Overture and Symphony No. 1 in C minor by Johannes Brahms, and Antonín Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor.  Learn more about Schwarz Conducts Brahms: https://charlestonsymphony.org/event/schwarz/#rsvp-now

Good News: Some of the major triumphs in the fight against climate change from 2023! The Good Word: A brilliant quote from Mahatma Gandhi. Good To Know: A hilarious fact about a bit of internet history… Good News: Truly great news about some positive tipping points you may have missed from last year. Wonderful World: […]

On this week's edition of People of Note, brought to you by PTP, I'll be talking to a recent visitor to South Africa, the Canadian born, Berlin based cellist Bryan Cheng who stunned us with his performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto with the CPO under Robert Moody. Bryan has won a number of major international awards and made his sold out debut in Carnegie Hall when he was only 14. He plays the Dubois Stradavarius Cell from 1699.

Composer Errollyn Wallen speaks to Hattie Butterworth about her new book, out now on Faber, mapping her trajectory as an artist, extensive recordings and philosophy on life. Errollyn Wallen: Becoming a Composer Check out Deutsche Grammophon STAGE+ Music clips used: Cello Concerto from 'Photography' on NMC horseplay: lively from 'The Girl in My Alphabet' on Avie Records daedalus from 'Errollyn' on Avie Records Dervish for Cello and Piano from 'The Girl in My Alphabet' on Avie Records Peace on Earth from 'Peace on Earth EP' on the Kings College Cambridge label   

Cellist Simon Updegraff presents Elgar's Cello Concerto, followed by works of Bach and Bloch; a cello suite of Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes, and Monti's Csárdás. The post LIVE | Simon Updegraff, 16, cello appeared first on WFMT.

Donald Macleod surveys the life and music of the elusive French composer, Edouard Lalo Even if you know the name, it's possible you might not be able to place the French composer Edouard Lalo date-wise. He was born in Lille in 1823. Berlioz was his senior in age by some twenty years, Saint-Saëns twelve years his junior. Lalo has a direct contemporary in the shape of César Franck, another composer who preferred to stay out of the limelight. As a musician, Lalo cut an independent path, preferring to complete his music studies privately rather than following the accepted route of attending the Paris Conservatoire. Lalo had a retiring nature, a man who appears to have preferred the quiet life. That doesn't mean he wasn't sociable. He seems to have been generally well liked. He lived in Paris from the age of sixteen and mixed with and knew all the leading musical personalities of the day. Aside from the Symphonie espagnole, he wrote several operas, a ballet, a symphony, a whole number of orchestral and chamber works including three piano trios and a string quartet, and something in the region of 30 songs. Trying to get a handle on Lalo isn't straightforward. The first letter that's been preserved dates from 1848, by which time Lalo was in his late twenties. His son Pierre was a primary source of information about his father, but more recent research indicates the picture he drew seems to have been somewhat rose-tinted. The first full length biography in English has yet to be published. Donald Macleod sets about mapping the life and the music of this elusive, yet significant figure in French musical history in a survey that takes us from Lalo's early experiences in Lille, where he first met Berlioz, to his eventual triumph, age sixty on the opera stage with Le roi d'Ys. Music Featured: Guitarre, op 28 arr. Ernest Guiraud Symphonie Espagnole in D minor , Op 21 (I: Allegro non troppo) Le roy d'Ys - Overture Violin sonata in D major, “Grand duo concertant” Op 12 (2nd movement Variations) Piano Trio No 2 (III: Minuetto: Allegro) Violin Concerto No 1 in F major, Op 20 (I: Andante – Allegro) Deux impromptus, Op 4 (I : Espérance) Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op 21 (II : Scherzando; Allegro molto) Trois mélodies La fenaison Six romance populaires (IV : Si j'étais petit oiseau; I : La pauvre femme) Piano Quintet "Grand Quintette" in Ab major (2nd movement) Cello Concerto in D minor (I. Prélude. Lento - Allegro maestoso) Rapsodie norvégienne Divertissement No 3: Andantino Fiesque, Act 2: Entr'acte: une place de Gênes Fiesque, Act 1: Je ne puis supporter Fiesque Act 2 (except) Piano Trio No 3 in A minor, Op 26 (II: Presto) Sonata for cello and piano (I: Andante non troppo) Concerto russe (II: Chants russe; III. Intermezzo) Namouna, Act 1: Valse de la Cigarette Symphony in G minor (III: Adagio) Namouna Suite No 2 Piano Trio in A Minor, Op 26 (I: Allegro appassionato) Cello Concerto in D minor (II: Intermezzo; III: Introduction: Andante - Allegro vivace) Overture to Le roi d'Ys (excerpt) Le roi d'Ys, Act 3: Vainement, ma bien-aimée String Quartet in E flat (I: Allegro vivo) Piano Concerto in F minor (I: Lento-Allegro) Le roi d'Ys, Act 1 (excerpt) Le roi d'Ys, Act 3 (excerpt) Symphonie Espagnole (V: Rondo) Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Audio Wales and West For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Edouard Lalo (1823-1892) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rhyp And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we've featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

When cellist Ofra Harnoy entered London's venerable Abbey Road Studios in 1996 to record Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85, she never imagined she would have to wait 27 years for the recording's release – at last, set for release on September 15 via Sony Classical and available for preorder now.The new album also includes a reissue of Harnoy's recording of the Cello Concerto in D Minor by the French composer Edouard Lalo, made in 1995 with the late Antonio de Almeida conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.Track Listing:1 Elgar: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85 / I. Adagio – Moderato2 II. Lento - Allegro molto3 III. Adagio4 IV. Allegro - Moderato - Allegro, ma non-troppo - Poco più lento – Adagio5 Lalo: Cello Concerto in D Minor / I. Prelude. Lento - Allegro maestoso6 II. Intermezzo. Andantino con moto - Allegro presto7 III. Introduction. Andante - Allegro vivaceHelp support our show by purchasing this album  at:Downloads (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by Uber and Apple Classical. @CMDHedgecock#ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans#CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain#ClassicalMusicLivesOn#Uber#AppleClassical Please consider supporting our show, thank you!Donate (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.com This album is broadcasted with the permission of Crossover Media Music Promotion (Zachary Swanson and Amanda Bloom).

SynopsisIn September 2001, American composer Elliott Carter was just a few months shy of his 93rd birthday, but still busy composing new works both large and small.On today's date that year, Carter's Cello Concerto received its premiere in Chicago with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony.Now, Carter's music is technically challenging for performers, and its complexity can make it equally challenging for audiences, especially at first hearing. Despite all that, Carter's comments on his music were usually quite straightforward:“In this score I have tried to find meaningful, personal ways of revealing the cello's vast array of wonderful possibilities,” he wrote. “My Concerto is introduced by the soloist alone, playing a frequently interrupted cantilena that presents ideas later to be expanded into movements.”A month after its premiere, Ma, Barenboim, and the Chicago Symphony brought the new work to Carnegie Hall, and the New York Times reviewer Anthony Tommasini wrote:“For all its complexities … the cello part has a rhapsodic, improvisatory quality …. At its conclusion, when Mr. Carter, who is 92, climbed the steps to the stage with a cane to steady him, he received a prolonged standing ovation.”Music Played in Today's ProgramElliott Carter (1908 – 2012) Cello Concerto Alisa Weilerstein; Staatskapelle Berlin; Daniel Barenboim cond. Decca 478 2735

Elgar's Cello Concerto was composed in the shadow of World War 1. It was a piece that marked a profound shift in Elgar's outlook on life and music, and was his last major work before a long silence caused by the death of his wife Alice. It is a piece of remarkable passion for a composer like Elgar, and never fails to move the audience with its combination of grief, melancholy, nostalgia, rage, but also tenderness. Elgar as a composer had been passed by with the invention of atonality and with composers like Stravinsky and Schoenberg pushing the boundaries of where music could go. Elgar stubbornly stayed true to his Romantic impulses, but the concerto also displays some of the inescapable influence of those composers. It is one of the most powerful pieces of the 20th century, but one of the reasons we know the piece so well is an unforgettable recording made in 1965 by Jacqueline Du Pre. It is very unusual for a piece to be so associated with a single performer, but Du Pre truly made the Elgar a standard concerto for the cello and it is now a piece that every cellist makes a part of their repertoire. We'll talk about all this and more during the show today - join us!

In his newest release, cellist Bion Tsang returns to Glasgow, Scotland for his second recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conductor Scott Yoo. CANTABILE, available from Universal Music Group on digital platforms tomorrow, April 14, and on CD in May 2023, features two works by Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Op. 33) and Andante Cantabile (Op. 11), and Schumann's Cello Concerto, bookended by two renditions of Pablo Casals' “Song of the Birds.”CANTABILEBion Tsang, CelloScott Yoo, ConductorRoyal Scottish National Orchestra           Pablo Casals01       "El cant dels ocells” ("Song of the Birds”), for Cello and String Orchestra  [04:07]            Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky02       Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for Cello and Orchestra  [19:25]            Robert Schumann           Concerto in A minor, Op. 129, for Cello and Orchestra03       Nicht zu schnell  [11:19]04       Langsam  [04:01]05       Sehr lebhaft  [08:09]            Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky06       Andante Cantabile, Op. 11, for Cello and String Orchestra  [07:03]            Pablo Casals07       "El cant dels ocells” ("Song of the Birds”), for Solo Cello (arr. Tsang)  [03:49]Help support our show by purchasing this album  at:Downloads (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by Uber and Apple Classical. @CMDHedgecock#ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans#CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain#ClassicalMusicLivesOn#Uber#AppleClassical Please consider supporting our show, thank you!Donate (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.comThis album is broadcasted with the permission of Crossover Media Music Promotion (Zachary Swanson and Amanda Bloom).

Recorded at the pre-concert talks prior to the Reno Phil's performances of March 25 and 26, 2023, "Clyne's Cello Concerto," this podcast features a discussion of women in conducting, and in the classical music world more generally, with Reno Phil music director and conductor Laura Jackson; Kristin Jurkscheit, executive director of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship; Inbal Segev, the cello soloist in the March performances; and Irene Delgado-Jiménez, the guest conductor in the March concerts.

Spoken word by Aleph Ba, with background music, Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto in A Minor. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alephba/support

Synopsis In 2002, film director Godfrey Reggio released his latest movie.  Entitled Naqoyqatsi – the Hopi word for Life as War – this was Reggio's third and final installment in a trilogy of unusual, non-narrative films, all with Hopi titles, each comprised of visually striking, collage-like visuals set against hypnotic film scores by American composer Philip Glass. Naqoyqatsi may have been a non-narrative film, Reggio described his 2002 film as a symphony in three movements, and even provided descriptive titles: Movement 1 - Language and place gives way to numerical code and virtual reality; Movement 2 - Life becomes a game; Movement 3 - A world that language can no longer describe.Fast forward ten years to 2012, when Glass had been commissioned to turn hisNaqoyqatsi film score into a concert work for cello and orchestra.  In the film score, solos played by the famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma featured prominently, so this “repurposing” of film score seemed a logical step. And so, on today's date in 2012, Philip Glass's Cello Concerto No. 2, subtitled Naqoyqatsi, received its premiere performance with the Cincinnati Symphony conducted by Dennis Russell Davies and Matt Haimowitz as the cello soloist. Music Played in Today's Program Philip Glass (b. 1938) Cello Concerto No. 2 (Naqoyqatsi) Matt Haimovitz, cello; Cincinnati Symphony; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor. Orange Mountain Music CD 0087

Synopsis On today's date in 2020, a new cello concerto by the American composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich was given its premiere in Fort Lauderdale, by cellist Zuill Bailey the South Florida Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sebrina María Alfonso, the same performers who had commissioned the work. About the work, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich said, “A Cello Concerto is something that had been on my ‘composer's wish list' for a long time. One of the things I love about the cello is that it covers virtually the entire range of the human voice— I particularly like its evocation of the mezzo-soprano … I sometimes refer to string instruments as ‘singers on steroids,' because of the power they give to a composer to explore virtuosity as well as expressivity. My Cello Concerto engages both the lyrical, singing nature of the instrument and its technical possibilities.”Zwillich dedicated the new concerto to the memory of two legendary cellists, Leonard Rose and Mstislav Rostropovich. Following the premiere, Dennis D. Rooney of the Palm Beach Arts Paper wrote, "The concerto's three linked movements suggested a meditation on melodic gestures from the American vernacular. The blues hovered over the work allusively … Throughout, the mood was thoughtful but not elegiac.” Music Played in Today's Program Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (b. 1939) – Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (Zuill Bailey , vcl; Santa Rosa Symphony; Francesco Lecce-Chong, conductor.) Delos DE-3596

We talk with Atlanta music legend Kevn Kinney ahead of his shows in Atlanta and Athens.  Also  A former Doraville police officer who had previously been accused of concealing the death of 16-year-old Norcross resident Susana Morales has now been formally accused of kidnapping and murdering her. The charges against Miles Bryant have been upgraded to include felony murder and kidnapping in connection with Morales' death last July. Bryant was previously charged with concealing the death of another person and false report of a crime. He will continue to face those charges in addition to the new ones. Bryant's employment with Doraville police was terminated when he was arrested earlier this month.  Police now believe that Morales was killed within four hours of her disappearance on the evening of July 26. Morales had gone to visit a friend earlier that evening and had texted her mother when she was walking back to her home just before 10 p.m. Police say Morales encountered Bryant sometime between 10 and 10:30 p.m. on July 26, 2022, and that her death is believed to have occurred sometime between then and 2 a.m. on July 27. Morales' parents had searched for her throughout the night and filed a missing person's report with police at 9 a.m. on July 27. Morales' skeletal remains were found in a wooded area off State Route 316 between Drowning Creek and the Gwinnett-Barrow county line earlier this month. A personal handgun which Bryant had reported missing at about 11 a.m. on July 27 was found near Morales' remains. The cause of Morales' death remains under investigation at this time, however. Run The Reagan has always been a celebratory event in the Snellville area, with the annual road race providing fun, competition and a chance to raise funds for local charities. But this year's race, scheduled for Saturday, will also come with some sadness as those who gather to participate and work the event remember the life of Parks Mann, the race's founder. Mann died on January 6 at the age of 76. A deacon at Smoke Rise Baptist Church, he was known in the community for founding the Run The Reagan race as well as his work with the Gwinnett Community Clinic. Part of Mann's legacy will be on display Saturday when Ronald Reagan Parkway is shut down for the event, which includes a fun run, a 5K, a half-marathon and a full marathon. Upwards of 2,000 people are expected to participate The event, in its 28th year, has been a generous community benefactor for years, raising more than $3 million, which is donated to local charitable organizations. This year the Brookwood Schools Foundation, the Southeast Gwinnett Cooperative Ministry, the South Gwinnett Cluster Foundation and the Lilburn Cooperative Ministry are the charities that will benefit from funds raised by Run The Regan. For high school seniors seeking opportunities to continue their musical education in college, the next several weeks are known as “the audition season.” Peachtree Ridge senior Jihoon Kim will have an excellent experience to help bolster his credentials on the cello when he makes his solo debut in late March with the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra. Kim finished second in a recent concerto competition to earn a spot performing with the iconic DSO, now celebrating its sixth decade. The Suwanee resident will join the orchestra to perform the fourth movement of Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto, a composition he knows very well. Although this will be his first spotlight appearance with an orchestra, Kim is familiar with large ensembles, having performed with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Emory Youth Symphony and the Georgia Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra. And while he's no stranger to the stage and the spotlight, Kim admitted he's still trying to wrap his head around this prestigious opportunity. Kim has several schools he's interested in and had a late-February in-person audition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He has also had zoom auditions with Bard College in New York, the University of Georgia, Columbus State, the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Kim's performance with the DSO — now under the baton of new music director Paul Bhasin — is set for 8 p.m. on March 21 at the Marvin Cole Auditorium in Clarkston. For more information, visit Dekalb Symphony dot Org. Gwinnett County Police K-9 officer Kai had a tough time last summer after he was shot by a suspect that he was trying to apprehend and subsequently had to have one of his legs amputated because of his injuries. On Tuesday, Gwinnett County commissioners recognized Kai, told him he'd done a good job in his service to the county and said he could now kick back his paws, relax and enjoy retirement. The commissioners voted formally to retire Kai from law enforcement service. Kai's retirement comes after a year in which he made headlines in ways he and his handler, Cpl. Aaron Carlyle, could not have anticipated 12 months ago. A year ago, Kai, a Belgian Malanois, was a newcomer to the Gwinnett police department's K-9 unit, having just joined the department in August 2021, and he looked to have a long career ahead of him. Then, came that fateful day on May 23, 2022, when he was brought in to help track a suspect who was accused of entering a home and threatening his girlfriend and other people who were inside the home in the Lawrenceville area. The suspect had fled the home by the time police had arrived, which is why Kai was brought in to help track him down with aerial assistance from the police department's Aviation Unit. The suspect opened fire at officers who were pursuing him and two of the bullets hit Kai. Kai was in the hospital for three weeks and have to have one of his leg's amputated Police had returned fire and shot the suspect, who was then taken to Northside Gwinnett Hospital while Kai was taken to North Georgia Veterinary Specialists in Buford for treatment. Due to his injuries, Kai's veterinarian, Dr. J.W. Wallis, recommended he be retired last August. Although his doctor recommended his retirement last August, the police department kept him in service for a few more months to help with some police activities that saw him acting as a de facto face of the department. At the Red, Blue and You law enforcement appreciation event last November, for example, he was recognized for his bravery when he received the Purple Heart Award for law enforcement. Sasha Tarassenko, a senior at Paul Duke STEM High School, is one of only three students to win this year's 2022-23 concerto competition with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sasha, one of the 114 students who make up the symphony's youth ensemble, will have the opportunity to perform a solo flute concerto next season. The Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra is under the direction of Resident Conductor and Music Director Jerry Hou. Anh Ho, a percussionist at Collins Hill High School, earned honorable mention. Applications for the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra's 2023-24 season are now open. Applications and auditions are open to rising eighth to 12th grade musicians who play orchestral string, woodwind, brass, and percussion, including piano and harp. For more information be sure to visit www.bgpodcastnetwork.com   https://www.lawrencevillega.org/  https://www.foxtheatre.org/  https://guideinc.org/  https://www.psponline.com/  https://www.kiamallofga.com/  https://www.milb.com/gwinnett  https://www.fernbankmuseum.org/  www.atlantagladiators.com            See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eminent Swedish American conductor Herbert Blomstedt leads two Dvořák landmarks — the restless, bucolic Eighth Symphony and the impassioned Cello Concerto — each imbued with the composer's hallmark warmth and Bohemian charm. Joining the CSO is the young Romanian Andrei Ioniţă, “one of the most exciting cellists to have emerged for a decade” (The Times of London). Explore the music in the free preconcert conversation featuring Carl Grapentine in Orchestra Hall 75 minutes before the performance. The conversation will last approximately 30 minutes. No additional tickets are needed. Learn more: cso.org/performances/22-23/cso-classical/blomstedt-conducts-dvorak-8

In this week's Unraveling Adoption Podcast, Beth talks with Paul Kimball, an adoptee from Northern California and author of the memoir We Are All Human Beings: An Adoptee Ponders. Music has always been a huge part of his life, and he currently works as a conductor, horn player, and school music teacher.  He didn't realize it at first, but when he reunited with his birth mother, the passion for music made sense. In this episode, we talk about the power of music to transcend time and space and connect individuals deeply. ===============

Donald Macleod presents another selection of composers who are most famous for a single work. Last Easter, Composer of the Week explored the lives of ten composers whose music we adore but mainly only for a lone composition. This week, Donald Macleod makes a second selection of classical ‘One Hit Wonders' - ten more composers who have been catapulted into the mainstream thanks to the surprising popularity of just one of their pieces. He's joined by pianist and music director, Yshani Perinpanayagam, to uncover these composers' stories and to share examples of their best music. We'll hear the familiar hits alongside plenty of captivating music that's less well-known. Music Featured: John Cage: 4'33'' (extract) John Cage: Hymns & Variations: Hymn A (After W. Billing's "Old North") John Cage: In a Landscape Jeremiah Clarke: Trumpet tune 'The Prince of Denmark's March' Jeremiah Clarke: Ode On The Death Of Henry Purcell (extract) Boccherini: String Quintet in E major, Op 11 No 5 (3rd mvt) Boccherini (arr. Grützmacher) Cello Concerto in B-Flat Major (2nd mvt) Boccherini: Guitar Quintet No 4 in D (3rd mvt) Monti: Czardas Monti: Noël de Pierrot, Act II, "Ô vous que j'adore" Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra Rodrigo: Cancíon y danza Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Chris Taylor For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for More One Hit Wonders https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9nt And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we've featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z

CPE Bach was the second son of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara Bach and to say he was a prolific composer is putting it mildly. CPE Bach wrote loads of flute music--sonatas, chamber music, and dazzling concerti. The tremendous output of flute music had to do with the fact that he had a flutist for a boss--Frederick the Great of Prussia. His touching Sonata in A minor for solo flute was composed in Berlin in 1747 and the opening movement is a palate of fall colors --golden yellows, reds, mahogany, and conifer green. This piece is a kind of meditation on the fall--it has an intimate quality unlike any other and it expresses the sadness of the passing of summer, the gratitude for the harvest, and the quality of turning inward as we light our fires and face the winter.  MUSIC:Georg Philip Telemann, Fantaisie No. 12, performed by Karen KevraC.P.E. Bach, Cello Concerto in A minor, Allegro assai, performed by Alison McGillivray, and The English Concert C.P.E. Bach Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, Allegro, performed by Jean Rondeau, with Sophie Gent, Louis Creac'h, Fanny Paccoud, Antoine Touche, Thomas de Pierrefeu, Evolène Kiener C.P.E. Bach Flute Concerto In D Minor,  Allegro Di Molto, performed by Jean-Pierre Rampal-flute, Pierre Boulez-conductor  C.P.E. Bach Sonata in A minor for unaccompanied flute, performed by Karen Kevra Robert Frost recites "Reluctance" -included for educational purposesPhotograph: Cornwall, Vermont backyard by Karen Kevra  Support the show

Synopsis On this day in 1919, Edward Elgar conducted the London Symphony in the premiere performance of his new Cello Concerto, with Felix Salmond as soloist. What should have been a joyous occasion turned out to be a frustrating one — there simply wasn't enough time to rehearse properly, and the premiere was a near-fiasco. Puzzled, the less-than-full house in Queen's Hall gave Elgar a polite ovation but left shaking their heads. Mrs. Elgar blamed the conductor, Albert Coates, who hogged all the orchestra's rehearsal time working over the two pieces HE was to conduct on the same program as Elgar's new Concerto, for which Coates would hand off the baton to Elgar. In her diary for October 26th she writes, “Poor Felix Salmond in a state of suspense and nerves — wretched hurried rehearsal — an insult to Elgar from that brutal, selfish, ill-mannered bounder, Coates.” After the botched premiere of the new Concerto, critic Ernest Newman reported: “Never, in all probability, has so great an orchestra made so lamentable a public exhibition of itself.” Despite this rough beginning, Elgar's Cello Concerto has gone on to become one of the composer's best-loved works worldwide, and has proven to be a favorite with the great cellists of our time, including the late British cellist, Jacqueline du Pré. Music Played in Today's Program Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Cello Concerto, Op. 85 Jacqueline du Pré, cello; Philadephia Orchestra; Daniel Barenboim, cond. Sony 60789

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach - Cello Concerto: Allegro assai Andreas Brantelid, cello Concerto Copenhagen Lars Ulrik Mortensen, conductor More info about today's track: Naxos 8.574365 Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Subscribe You can subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts, or by using the Daily Download podcast RSS feed. Purchase this recording Amazon

Synopsis For over 120 years the late summer music festival known as the BBC Proms has been presenting memorable concerts in London, but one of the most memorable occurred on today's date in 1968. The scheduled performers at the Royal Albert Hall were the USSR State Symphony, its conductor Yevgeny Svetlanov, and the virtuoso cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. As the musicians took to the stage, boos and cat-calls were mixed with the applause, and some shouts of “Go home!” and “Russians out!” The reason? Earlier that same day, the Soviet Union and its East Block allies had invaded Czechoslovakia, sending troops and tanks into the country to crush the so-called “Prague Spring,” a period of liberalization and reform that threatened Communist control of that nation. By a cruel stroke of irony, one of the works on the scheduled program of the Soviet orchestra was the Cello Concerto of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. There were some shouts of protests as Rostropovich began to play, but by the end of his intense performance, all was quiet. Rostropovich had played with tears streaming down his face, and after finishing held up the conductor's score of the concerto as both a sign of solidary with the Czech nation and act of mute protest of the invasion. Music Played in Today's Program Antonin Dvorak (1841 -1904) –Cello Concerto in b, Op. 104 (Mstislav Rostropovich, vcl; USSR State Symphony; Yevgeny Svetlanov, cond.) BBC Legends CD 4110 (r. live August 21, 1968 at the BBC Proms)

Synopsis There are dozens of famous cello concertos that get performed in concert halls these days, ranging from 18th century works by the Italian Baroque master Antonio Vivaldi to dramatic 20th century works of the Russian modernist Dmitri Shostakovich. In 2007, the American composer Sean Hickey was commissioned by Russian cellist Dmitry Kouzov to write a new concerto, which received its premiere performance on today's date two years later, in 2009. “In this work,” Hickey recalled, “I wanted to fuse my interest in neo-classical clarity and design with the songful, heroic nature of the greatest cello concerto literature … My Cello Concerto had its Russian premiere at the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace, a neo-Baroque edifice on the banks of the Fontanka River in Saint Petersburg … [It] was then recorded in the legendary Melodiya Studios on Vasilevsky Island in St. Petersburg, known from Soviet times as producing recordings from the likes of Shostakovich, Rostropovich, Mravinsky, and many others. “One moment of personal satisfaction came when the Russian orchestra, after rehearsing the piece for days, picked up on a buried quotation from Shostakovich's Seventh, his ‘Leningrad Symphony' in the final pages of my piece. It's easy to forget in the glittering and watery metropolis, which rivals any European city for beauty and culture, that St. Petersburg is a city full of ghosts.” Music Played in Today's Program Sean Hickey (b. 1970) –Cello Concerto (Dmitry Kouzov, vcl; St. Petersburg State Symphony; Vladimir Lande, cond.) Delos 3448