Jewish composers Erich Korngold, Ernest Bloch, and Berthold Goldschmidt each had different inspiration and motivation when they began writing their primary works for cello and orchestra. Korngold had written a short cello concerto that was used in one of his film scores and was later expanded into the full concerto we know today. Bloch was promoting his ideal of a new Hebrew musical idiom, and Goldschmidt was reconstructing the lost manuscript he composed for Feuermann. Despite their differences, the three epic works for ...
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Jewish composers Erich Korngold, Ernest Bloch, and Berthold Goldschmidt each had different inspiration and motivation when they began writing their primary works for cello and orchestra. Korngold had written a short cello concerto that was used in one of his film scores and was later expanded into the full concerto we know today. Bloch was promoting his ideal of a new Hebrew musical idiom, and Goldschmidt was reconstructing the lost manuscript he composed for Feuermann. Despite their differences, the three epic works for cello and orchestra each share a remarkable breadth, profound emotional catharsis, and a utilization of the full range and technical abilities of the solo cello. Apart from Bloch's Schelomo, these works are not frequently performed, a true injustice as they are each highly accessible and intensely moving. Performing the three works on this Avi-Music disc is cellist Julian Steckel accompanied by the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie under Daniel Raiskin. Steckel's staggeringly...
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