Internet Cello Society Archive Archives

A Brief History and Analysis of Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo

Introduction At the tender age of ten, Ernest Bloch wrote a vow that he would become a composer. He then built a mound of stones in the shape of an altar and burned the paper over the stones in ritual fashion. Before age 15, he made good on his vow, having composed both a string quartet and an Oriental Symphony. However, it was with the composition of his epic Schelomo: Rhapsody for Violoncello and Large Orchestra, that he proved to the world that he had indeed become a composer of world class ability. After a performance in November of 1923, the San Francisco Chronicle review affirmed the accomplishment, reporting: "Schelomo is a magnificent work by one of the greatest living composers. Splendid as it is in brilliant coloration, it is not in the vivid pictures that [...]

By Tracie Price|2024-07-05T19:51:13-04:00September 16th, 2023|Categories: Historical, Internet Cello Society Archive|Tags: Schelomo, Cello Repertoire, Ernest Bloch, Historical Analysis, The Jewish Cycle, Internet Cello Society Archive|

A Profile of Robert LaMarchina (January, 2004)

by Tim Janof Though relatively few may know of him today, Robert LaMarchina was one of the most brilliant cellists of the 20th Century. A child prodigy, he was the toast of the music world and was showered with praise from some of the most celebrated musicians of his time. Gaspar Cassadó said that LaMarchina was "the most outstanding talent I have seen." Maurice Maréchal said "There is no doubt of it, the boy is unusually gifted." Toscanini referred to him as "my little angel." Had he not gone into conducting and had some self-sabotaging tendencies from a career standpoint, there is little doubt that he would have been a household name for cellists around the world. LaMarchina was born in New York City on September 3, 1928. His parents [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-05T20:18:47-04:00February 14th, 2022|Categories: Artists, Internet Cello Society Archive|Tags: Internet Cello Society Archive, child prodigy, conducting, ICS, Gaspar Cassadó, Robert LaMarchina, Toscanini, Life Story, Profile|

Conversation with Thomas Demenga (May, 2007)

Interview by Tim Janof Thomas Demenga, born 1954 in Berne, Switzerland, studied with Walter Grimmer, Antonio Janigro, Leonard Rose and Mstislav Rostropovich, among others. Important chamber-musical influences were Claus Adam, Felix Galimir, and Robert Mann at the Juilliard School in New York As an internationally renowned soloist, composer and teacher, Thomas Demenga counts among the most outstanding cellists and musicians of our time. He has performed at important festivals and musical centers around the globe and shared the stage with fellow musicians such as Heinz Holliger, Gidon Kremer, Thomas Larcher, Paul Meyer, Aurèle Nicolet, Hansheinz Schneeberger, Thomas Zehetmair, and Tabea Zimmermann. He has worked with conductors such as Moshe Atzmon, Myung-Whun Chung, Charles Dutoit, Claus Peter Flor, Howard Griffiths, Heinz Holliger, Armon Jordan, Okko Kamu, Mstislav Rostropovich, Dennis Russell Davies, [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-05T20:19:30-04:00January 31st, 2022|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: String Types, Mstislav Rostropovich, Internet Cello Society Archive, ICS, Maurice Gendron, Thomas Demenga, Felix Galimir, Antonio Janigro, Bach, Walter Grimmer, Leonard Rose, Bent Endpin, Technique|

Conversation with Mischa Maisky (May, 2007)

by Tim Janof Mischa Maisky has the distinction of being the only cellist in the world to have studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. Rostropovich has lauded Mischa Maisky as "... one of the most outstanding talents of the younger generation of cellists. His playing combines poetry and exquisite delicacy with great temperament and brilliant technique." Born in Latvia, educated in Russia, after his repatriation to Israel, Mischa Maisky has been enthusiastically received in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, New York and Tokyo, along with the rest of the major music centers. He considers himself as a citizen of the world: "I'm playing an Italian cello, with French bows, Austrian and German strings, my daughter was born in Paris, my older son in Brussels and my younger one in [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-05T20:19:50-04:00January 17th, 2022|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: competitions, Mstislav Rostropovich, ICS, Mischa Maisky, Zubin Mehta, Internet Cello Society Archive, Pablo Casals, Bach, Gregor Piatigorsky|

Conversation with Olga Rostropovich (May, 2003)

by Tim Janof This brief interview is with Mstislav Rostropovich's daughter, Olga, who attended the 2003 National Cello Congress in Tempe, Arizona. TJ: Do you still play the cello? OR: Not anymore. TJ: Did you quit because of the pressure of being the daughter of Mstislav Rostropovich? OR: Of course, I felt the pressure of being his daughter, but I dealt with it. I mostly quit playing because I got married and had children, and I knew that I couldn't be both a performing cellist and a good wife and mother. Somehow my mother, Galina Vishnevskaya, was able to do both. She was a prima donna at the Bolshoi Theatre Opera, the wife of a very successful man, and the mother of his children. I don't know how she did [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-05T20:20:15-04:00December 29th, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: ICS, Olga Rostropovich, Dmitri Shostakovich, Galina Vishnevskaya, Soviet Union, Internet Cello Society Archive, Mstislav Rostropovich|

Leonard Rose Remembered (January, 2004)

by Tim Janof Leonard Rose was one of the greatest cellists of all time. Many of the recordings he made in the prime of his career continue to be viewed as the ultimate model of gorgeous cello playing. His greatest recordings have a timeless, unmannered quality that sound as fresh today as they did when they were first released. He also had tremendous success as a teacher. His former students are now leading cellists around the world, and include principal and section cellists in professional orchestras, highly regarded pedagogues, and revered soloists. Leonard Rose was a cellist's cellist, who excelled in every aspect of cello playing -- teacher, soloist, orchestral cellist, and chamber musician. While researching for this article, I had the tremendous fortune of finding Barbara Rose-Schirota, who is [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-05T20:20:36-04:00December 15th, 2021|Categories: Historical, Artists, Internet Cello Society Archive, Performance, Repertoire, Teaching|Tags: Leonard Rose, Glenn Gould, ICS, Frank Miller, Fritz Reiner, NBC Orchestra, Heifetz, Lynn Harrell, Cleveland Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma, Internet Cello Society Archive, Felix Salmond, Sergei Rachmaninoff', New York Philharmonic|

A Survey of Bach Suite Editions (1995)

I recently read that there are over 80 editions of Bach's cello suites in existence with publication dates ranging from 1825 to the present. When reading this, my initial reaction was one of incredulity; what significantly different information could the 80th edition, for instance, have to offer over the previous 79 editions? Fortunately, I didn't stop there. I realized that this could be viewed as a great tribute to Bach and a testimonial to the beauty of his cello suites. So I decided to investigate some of these editions and get a glimpse at the insights of each player. The Bach Suites have always been a point of contention in the cello world. Unlike violinists and their solo violin works, we do not have a manuscript copy of Bach's cello [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-05T20:21:01-04:00November 30th, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Repertoire|Tags: Editions, Bach Cello Suites, Pierre Fournier, ICS, Manuscripts, Dimitry Markevitch, Pablo Casals, Diran Alexanian, Bach, Hugo Becker, Janos Starker, August Wenzinger, Internet Cello Society Archive|

Conversation with Julian Lloyd Webber (July, 2004)

Interview by Tim Janof Widely regarded as one of the most creative musicians of his generation, Julian Lloyd Webber has collaborated with an extraordinary array of musicians, from Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Neville Marriner, and Georg Solti to Stephane Grappelli, Elton John, and Cleo Laine. Julian's twenty-year partnership with Philips/Universal Classics has produced many outstanding recordings, including his Brit-Award winning Elgar Concerto, conducted by Yehudi Menuhin (chosen as the finest ever version by BBC Music Magazine), the Dvorák Concerto with Vaclav Neumann and the Czech Philharmonic, Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations with the London Symphony under Maxim Shostakovich, and a coupling of Britten's Cello Symphony and Walton's Concerto with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, which was described by Gramophone magazine as "beyond any rival." Julian [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:18:55-04:00October 21st, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Phillip Glass, Commissions, Pierre Fournier, New Music, Mstislav Rostropovich, Internet Cello Society Archive, ICS, Douglas Cameron, Joan Dickson, Stradivarius, Recording Contracts|

Conversation with Frances Walton (June, 1999)

Interview by Tim Janof Sitting third chair in Philharmonia Northwest, one of the best community orchestras in the Seattle area, is 71 year old cellist Frances Walton, one of the most radiant musical souls I have ever met. "I'm 71 and I love it. As long as I can move without arthritis, the world is good." One wouldn't necessarily expect to find such a powerful musical force in a place like Shorecrest High School auditorium, the orchestra's concert venue, but there she enthusiastically plays. As I watch her, I can't help but wonder if anybody realizes just what she has done for classical music -- formed and conducted two orchestras, conducted a third, founded a music camp, co-founded a music library, formed a statewide concert tour, and inspired countless musicians [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:19:33-04:00October 14th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: ICS, artistic vision, Internet Cello Society Archive, inspiration, orchestra, orchestra playing, Tanglewood, conducting|

Conversation with Bion Tsang (July, 1997)

Interview by Tim Janof Bion Tsang has appeared as soloist with the New York, Moscow, and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestras, the National, American, Atlanta, and Pacific Symphony Orchestras, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, and the Taiwan National Orchestra. Mr. Tsang's career as a chamber musician has been equally distinguished, marked by numerous collaborations with violinists Cho-Liang Lin and Pamela Frank, frequent appearances as guest artist of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and performances at festivals such as Marlboro Music, the Portland and Seattle Chamber Music Festivals, and the Laurel Festival of the Arts, where he serves as Artistic Director. TJ: You studied with some illustrious musicians- Leonard Rose, William Pleeth, and Aldo Parisot. What were they like as teachers? BT: I didn't study long enough with Leonard Rose or William Pleeth [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:20:14-04:00October 7th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: career, Internet Cello Society Archive, Leonard Rose, Rostropovich, competitions, Aldo Parisot, ICS, William Pleeth, Portato, Pablo Casals, Projection|

Conversation with Raphael Wallfisch (July, 2004)

Interview by Tim Janof Raphael Wallfisch was born in London in 1953 into a family of distinguished musicians, his mother the cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, and his father the pianist Peter Wallfisch. At an early age, Raphael was greatly inspired by hearing Zara Nelsova play, and, guided by a succession of fine teachers, including Amaryllis Fleming, Amadeo Baldovino, and Derek Simpson, it became apparent that the cello was to be his life's work. While studying with the great Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky in California, he was chosen to perform chamber music with Jascha Heifetz in the informal recitals that Piatigorsky held at his home. At the age of twenty-four he won the Gaspar Cassadó International Cello Competition in Florence. Since then he has enjoyed a world-wide career playing with such orchestras [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:21:16-04:00September 29th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: ICS, Zara Nelsova, Mischa Maisky, Amaryllis Fleming, Cassado Competition, Internet Cello Society Archive, Gregor Piatigorsky, Janos Starker, Technique|

Conversation with Robert Cohen (December, 2000)

Interview by Tim Janof British cellist Robert Cohen is firmly established as one of the world's leading soloists. His career takes him on major tours of the USA, Europe, Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the UK, performing with conductors such as Abbado, Jansons, Marriner, Masur, Muti, Rattle, and Sinopoli. Cohen made his concert debut at London's Royal Festival Hall playing a Boccherini concerto at the age of 12. His prodigy was nurtured by the great pedagogue William Pleeth. He also took part in classes with Jacqueline du Pré, André Navarra, and Mstislav Rostropovich. At the age of 19, after winning several major international competitions, he made his recording debut -- Elgar's cello concerto with Del Mar and the London Philharmonic -- which received several awards and has [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:21:54-04:00September 24th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: ICS, William Pleeth, Andre Navarra, Daniel Barenboim, David Oistrakh, Technique, Internet Cello Society Archive, bow technique, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pré|

Conversation with Steven Doane (August, 1994)

Interview by Tim Janof Mr. Doane is on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music. TJ: At what point did you decide that you would dedicate your life to music? SD: When I was in my second year in high school, I told my parents that I wanted to train to be a professional cellist. They asked my cello teacher if he thought I would be able to make it. He said, "I don't know if he'll be another Piatigorsky, but he should be able to make a living." Of course I was disappointed that he didn't say I was going to be another Piatigorsky, but my parents were reassured. I ended up studying with Richard Kapuscinski at Oberlin. Then I went to Stony Brook for a couple of [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:22:55-04:00September 16th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: legato, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pablo Casals, ICS, Bach, Steven Isserlis, Interpretation, Richard Kapuscinski, Bernard Greenhouse, Jane Cowan, Teaching, Portato, Janos Starker, Internet Cello Society Archive, Practice|

Conversation with Wendy Warner (June, 2000)

Interview by Tim Janof The international music world first took note of Wendy Warner when she won First Prize in the Fourth International Rostropovich Competition in Paris in 1990. Later that year, Ms. Warner made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra and Mstislav Rostropovich, and the next year she was the featured soloist on their North American tour. Rostropovich also engaged her for a tour of Germany with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in 1991, making her debuts in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Koln, Dusseldorf, and Berlin. For Rostropovich's 70th birthday celebration concert in Kronberg, Germany, she was invited to perform in recital and with orchestra, and later played the Vivaldi double concerto with him at Reims, France. In addition to her tours with Rostropovich, Ms. Warner toured with the Moscow Virtuosi [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:23:14-04:00September 8th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: ICS, Glenn Garlick, Nell Novak, Interpretation, Internet Cello Society Archive, Teaching, sound production, Technique, Rostropovich, Mstislav Rostropovich|

Conversation with Laurence Lesser (January, 2001)

Interview by Tim Janof Laurence Lesser, president emeritus of the New England Conservatory (NEC) has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a concert artist, teacher and arts administrator. He served as president of NEC for 13 years, from 1983 to 1996. He was a top prizewinner in the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, and a participant in the historic Heifetz-Piatigorsky concerts and recordings. He has been soloist with many orchestras including the Boston Symphony, London Philharmonic, and the New Japan Philharmonic. He has performed under the batons of Ozawa, Rostropovich, and Tilson Thomas, among others. He was the first to record the Schoenberg Cello Concerto, and in 1966 was the first to perform it with orchestra since its 1938 introduction by Emanuel Feuermann. As a chamber musician Laurence Lesser has [...]

By Tim Janof|2024-07-24T19:23:33-04:00August 28th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Interviews|Tags: Maria Callas, Internet Cello Society Archive, Gregor Piatigorsky, Gabor Rejto, Leonard Rose, Jascha Heifetz, laurence lesser, ICS, Gaspar Cassadó|

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