There are some things you can count on with a Bohuslav Martinu. It will be tuneful. It will have syncopated rhythms. It will have modal harmonies and unusual chord progressions. The three cello sonatas in this release check all the boxes. And, as a fan of Martinu’s music, that’s just fine with me. A lot […]
Raphael Wallfisch
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Raphael Wallfisch shows affinity for Weinberg Cello Concerto
At first blush, it may seem like a recording of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s music doesn’t belong in the Cello Concertos by Exiled Jewish Composers series. After all, wasn’t Weinberg a Soviet composer? He was, but he very much belongs in this series. Weinberg was born in Warsaw. His family moved to Russia, and after the Revolution, […]
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Raphael Wallfisch continues concerto cycle with Ben-Haim, Korngold, and Bloch
This installment of Raphael Wallfisch’s innovative series features three very different composers. “Cello Concertos by Jewish Composers in Exile” is in its fourth volume. All three composers were Jewish, and all were forced from their homes. But not every work on this album is a concerto (sort of). The outlier is Ernest Bloch, represented by […]
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Karl Weigl 1934 Cello Concerto present to the world
Volume two of CPO’s “Cello Concertos by Exiled Jewish Composers” features music by Karl Weigl. Given Weigl’s prominence in Vienna, it’s surprising he’s so little-known today. Weigl was Mahler’s rehearsal pianist. He co-founded a concert series with Arnold Schoenberg and Bruno Walter. He studied with Robert Fuchs and taught Wolfgang Erich Korngold. And yet he […]
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Raphel Wallfisch brings home exiled concertos
This release marks the beginning of a new series from CPO. Cello Concertos from Exile features works by Jewish composers forced to flee Nazi Germany. This first release includes works by Fanz Rezeinstein and Berthold Goldschmidt, who both found refuge in the UK. It’s a deeply personal project for cellist Raphael Wallfisch. As he explains […]
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Patric Standford Captures the Essence of England
Listening to the music of Patric Standford, other composers come to mind. The works flow smoothly and organically, like those of his teacher Edmund Rubbra. The skittering passages of the Prelude to a Fantasy sound like more tonal versions of those by Lutoslawski (who Standford also studied with). And over all of this, there’s a […]
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Three World Premier Sonatas by Arnold Cooke
Arnold Cooke came to prominence in the 1930’s, along with Michael Tippett and Benjamin Britten. This disc presents three string sonatas written at various points in his career. The earliest work on the album is his Viola Sonata from 1937. Although the work features warm, elegiac passages, it’s a far cry from the viola music […]