Cello moments (Jun 27, 2023)
Tribute to Kaija Saariaho
In memory of world-renowned composer Kaija Saariaho who passed away on Jun 2, join us for three recent performances of her music in Finland, the Netherlands, and U.S. First, we re-visit a concert in Helsinki on her 70th birthday in Oct 2022 featuring her cello concerto, "Notes on Light", performed by cellist Anssi Karttunen and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Susanna Mälkki. Next, we head to the Delft Chamber Music Festival for a Jul 2021 performance of her "Sept papillons" given by cellist Jakob Koranyi. And finally to Cambridge, MA, we stop by the Pickman Concert Hall for her flute-cello duet "Mirrors" played in Oct 2022 by Sarah Brady and Rhonda Rider.
Photo of Kaija Saariaho © Maarit Kytöharju.
Cello moments (Jun 1, 2023)
Popper 180 celebration
The 180th anniversary of the birth of David Popper is on Jun 16 so join us for a special feature of his music! We start off the celebration in London with his "Hungarian Rhapsody" performed by cellist Kian Soltani and pianist Megumi Hashiba at Wigmore Hall in Mar 2017. Next, we stop by Himmelfahrtskirche in Munich for his "Polonaise de Concert" showcasing cellist Vilém Vlček and the LGT Young Soloists in Jan 2019. And finally, let's head to Oslo to watch his Requiem Op. 66 performed by three cellists of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra—Torun Stavseng, Audun Sandvik, and Ole Eirik Ree—alongside pianist Ole Christian Haagenrud at NCO's chamber series—"Feel-Good"—in May 2021.
Photo: David Popper and his students, 1901.
Cello moments (May 2, 2023)
Museum performances
With International Museum Day coming up on May 18, join us for three performances at museums in the Netherlands, UK, and US! First, we start at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam with Lucia Swarts (nominee of our 11th annual Listeners' Choice Award) performing Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 in 2014 presented by the Netherlands Bach Society. Next, we head to the Leicester Museum & Art Gallery for the Leicester International Music Festival 2021 featuring the Mithras Trio playing Helen Grime's "Three Whistler Miniatures". And finally in New York, let's visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art to watch Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" played by violinist Alan Gilbert, cellist Carter Brey, clarinetist Anthony McGill, and pianist Inon Barnatan at a MetLiveArts concert in 2016 presented in collaboration with the New York Philharmonic.
Photo taken by Erik Smits inside the Rijksmuseum.
Cello moments (Apr 4, 2023)
International Dance Day
Apr 29 is International Dance Day so join us for three recent performances of cello and dance collaborations in Norway, U.S., and France. First up is our 11th Listeners' Choice Award nominee Ernst Simon Glaser, in cello duet with Ingvild Nesdal Sandnes, performing Sollima's "Arboreto salvatico" with dancers Camilla Spidsøe Cohen, Yaniv Cohen and Lovi Cohen in Nov 2022 at the 80-year commemoration of the deportation of Jews from Norway to Auschwitz. Next is Sophia Bacelar, in Mar 2021 in New York, performing the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 with dancer Jamaii Melvin on the Vanguard Concerts Series. And finally is Camille Thomas, playing a cello rendition of Bellini's "Casta diva", in Feb 2021 on the popular French variety television show "Le Grand Échiquier" with dancer Pepito Fractal.
Image: "Before the Performance" by Edgar Degas, c.1896–1898.
Cello moments (Mar 5, 2023)
International Women's Day
International Women's Day is on Mar 8 so join us for three recent performances in Switzerland, U.S, and Belgium showcasing women performing artists of three generations. First, we start with our 9th Listeners' Choice Award nominee Duo Anouchka & Katharina Hack, in Aubonne in Nov 2021, performing Shostakovich's Cello Sonata (mvts I, II, & III) from their LCA-nominated CD. Next, we stop by University Park, PA for Kim Cook's Jan 2021 "Together, Alone" concert playing the 2nd movement of Kodály's Sonata for Solo Cello. And finally, we head to Ghent to watch Anne Gastinel perform Tchaikovsky's "Rococo Variations" with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kristiina Poska in Mar 2020.
Cello moments (Feb 2, 2023)
Shor | Glière | Frolyak
Following our last April's music of peace featuring the cello, join us this time for three recent performances of music of Ukraine as the war enters its twelfth month. First up is Alexey Shor (b. 1970, Kyiv) with his Cello Concerto in F major performed in July 2021 by Claudio Bohórquez (winner of our 8th annual Listeners' Choice Award) with FVG Orchestra under the baton of Sergey Smbatyan. Next is Reinhold Glière (b. 1875, Kyiv) with his Duets for Violin and Cello Op. 39 Nos. 2, 4 and 7 played by Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth at the Tanglewood 2020 Online Festival. And finally is Bohdana Frolyak (b. 1968, Vydyniv) with her Cello Concerto premiered in May 2022 by Oksana Lytvynenko with Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine conducted by Volodymyr Syvokhip.
Cello moments (Jan 2, 2023)
LCA all-star celebration
To start off the new year and our 11th Listeners' Choice Award, join us for our LCA all-star celebration of three recent performances! First up is our 6th Listeners' Choice Award winner Marc Coppey live in Prague at the French Embassy in March 2022 with the Prague Philharmonia performing a French-Czech program of Saint-Saëns' "The Swan", Fauré's "Élégie", in addition to Dvořák's "Silent Woods" as featured on Coppey's LCA-winning album "Bloch | Dvořák" of 2017. Next is our 7th Listeners' Choice Award nominee Maja Bogdanovic in Nov 2021 in Belgrade as guest soloist with the RTS Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Dejan Savić for Ivan Jevtic's "Cello Symphony". And finally is our 4th Listeners' Choice Award nominee Enrico Bronzi in Dec 2020 in Rome at the Teatro Palladium performing Richard Strauss' "Romanze" with Roma Tre Orchestra.
Image: Celebrating our 1st to 10th Listeners' Choice Award winners and nominees.
Cello moments (Dec 1, 2022)
Music of Hanukkah & Christmas
Before heading out for winter fun and festivities, join us for music of Hanukkah and Christmas! First, we start with cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen in 2021 performing Beethoven's set of variations on "See, the conqu'ring hero comes" from Handel's oratorio, "Judas Maccabaeus", celebrating the Feast of Lights and the victory of the Jewish people. Next is our 10th Listeners' Choice Award nominee Victor Julien-Laferrière in Mar 2022 with Amsterdam Sinfonietta playing "Song of the Birds", a Catalan Christmas carol made world famous by Pablo Casals as a symbol of peace and freedom. And finally comes a holiday tradition of the Philharmonia Orchestra which in 2020 features its cello section with guest cellist Alisa Weilerstein performing John Rutter's "Candlelight Carol" inspired by Geertgen tot Sint Jans' painting "Nativity at Night".
Photo taken by ilirjan rrumbullaku [cropped / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0] of ice Skating in Central Park in Dec 2014.
Cello moments (Nov 1, 2022)
As seen on TV
World Television Day is coming up on Nov 21, join us for three cello performances as seen on popular TV shows in France, US, and Scandinavia! First, we start with "C à vous" hosted by Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine on weeknights featuring Ophélie Gaillard (nominee of our 5th Listeners' Choice Award) in May 2020 performing Vivaldi's Cello Concerto RV. 416 (III. Allegro) with members of her Pulcinella Orchestra. Next is "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" guest starring Yo-Yo Ma in May 2021 playing a special medley of "Simple Gifts", "Amazing Grace" and "Goin' Home". And finally is the Norwegian/Swedish talk show "Skavlan" hosted by Fredrik Skavlan in Mar 2019 in London at Sky Studios featuring siblings Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason performing Saint-Saëns' "The Swan".
Photo taken by Tertiary7 [cropped / CC BY-SA 3.0] of a TV show with live studio audience.
Cello moments (Oct 1, 2022)
Music of the changing seasons
With fall foliage sweeping across our northern hemisphere in spectacular colors, join us for a special feature of music of the changing seasons! First, we start with Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" performed by the Neave Trio live from WGBH in 2019. Next is Mark Adamo's cello concerto "Last Year"—reimagining Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" into a four-movement narrative of ever-increasing threats of climate change—played by cellist Richard Belcher in Nov 2021 with Jeri Lynne Johnson conducting ROCO. And finally is the world premiere last October of Jake Runestad's "Cello Songs"—a four-movement suite of the four seasons of how the cello might come to mean very different things to us through the beauty and complexity of our lives—performed by cellist Cameron Grimes and pianist Stephen Uhl with Jeff Hunt conducting the St. Charles Singers.
Photo taken by Joselito Tagarao [cropped / CC BY-NC 2.0] of Marc Chagall's mosaic "The Four Seasons" installed in downtown Chicago in 1974.
Cello moments (Sep 6, 2022)
From Bloch to Ben-Haim
Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown on Sep 25 so join us for a special feature of music for the Jewish New Year! First, we open with Bloch's "Schelomo: Rhapsodie Hébraïque" performed by cellist Truls Mørk with Markus Stenz conducting the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. Next is Stutschewsky's "Hassidic Suite" played by our 1st Listeners' Choice Award nominee Amit Peled alongside pianist Sheng-Yuan Kuan. And finally is Ben-Haim's "Variations on a Hebrew Melody" performed by David McCarroll, Michal Korman and Assaff Weisman of the Israeli Chamber Project.
Image: Illustration of Rosh Hashanah, from The Holiday Series – Six Paintings of Jewish Holidays, by Arthur Szyk, CC BY-SA 4.0.
