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I just downloaded the first of the four parts of the Classics Today articles on orchestra vibrato. It's 118 pages! And that's just the first part.

I was looking at the upcoming releases on the Hyperion Records website few days ago and saw that they are finally issuing a new installment to their "The Romantic Cello Concerto" series.

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67859&vw=dc

How much of unsung man is he? I have never heard of him before. What good did he write?

David Popper is said to have employed a continuous vibrato. In Stephen De'ak's biography of Popper, he includes some criticism from a concert early in his career for this very reason.

Apparently, in mentioning "soulful warmth in singing passages" [in a review of the concert], the critic stimulated a complaint to the editor in the form of an article expressing dislike for Popper's use of the vibrato (which had previously been sparingly employed, but was in a process of evolution and being cultivated increasingly by cellists). ["It is known that the famous cellist Piatti used vibrato very seldom and in only very expressive passages."]

The critic answered this article in March, and the objecting correspondent made further reply in the November issue. The critic's answer and the final objection are shown below:

"With regards to the violoncello virtuoso Mr. David Popper: the author of said article would have done better not to burden the excellent artist nor the 'nerves of the listeners' with the result of his own lack of pertinent understanding. The Leipzig musicians who were present at the concert--and they were assembled in great numbers and among them out best names--attest to Mr. Popper that none of the expressed criticism had any real foundation. His tone is excellent, and one could not discover any trace of the intolerable 'vibrating' of some virtuosos; the manner of presentation which he applied and which is necessary for the required warmth of the tone was only the shaking (or oscillating) vibrato movement as it is legitimately taught." [Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, March, 1863].

"... Next, objection is raised to our statement that Mr. David Popper had tried the nerves of his listeners by continuous vibrato and it is claimed that the vibrato of the gentleman had been the 'shaking (or oscillating) movement as it is legitimately taught.' Well, we will not insist on the term: we did not, thus, perceive a single tone from Mr. D. Popper to which--the tempo permitting--he did not apply his 'legitimately taught vibrato movement'; if the critic of the 'Neue Zeitschrift für Musik' found this to his liking it only proves that he no longer has any sense for a natural homogeneous tone and the his hearing organs have been infected by a sickness of taste which at the moment is indeed the fashion; perhaps he will even go a little further and try to apply a legitimately executed trill to each note of a vocal piece as had already happened." [NZfM, November 1863].

I have seen other opinions expressed on vibrato dating back to the Eighteenth Century. This, however, does not say much about orchestras. I look forward to reading the Classics Today articles later.

I think a tux for the men and a nice black dress for the woman would be a good easy dress code. Or is that too complicated?

Now I think about it, there are two versions of Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations as well - the original, which almost no-one plays and the version which Fitzenhagen made in 1878, which everybody plays.  After the theme and the first three variations, Fitzenhagen re-ordered the remaining variations and deleted Tchaikovsky's variation VIII altogether.  Why most cellists persist in playing this bastardised version is beyond me, since the original has been readily available since Russian cellist Victor Kubatsky published the original version in 1956.

I always thought that the Rococo Variations was a rather long and boring piece until I heard the original version. I know Shafran said that while he had played both, he preferred the Fitzenhagen version for the more climactic ending. I agree that Fitzenhagen's arrangement makes the ending more climactic but it does so at the expense of the middle of the piece.

Beethoven cello concerto. The story (that he offers to write one for Romberg but Romberg turns him down) never fails to leave a pang in my chest when I think of it.

Is that the Wen-Sinn Yang recording? I have separate recordings of most of the first two cello concertos but the recording of the second is from the Brilliant Classics Shafran box set and only contains the first two movements. Both pieces are nice and I think they stack up well against other cellist or violinist composers. My current preference is toward the second concerto.

I have listened to both the Yang CDs but that was my first time hearing them but I don't own them and none of the tunes have stuck but I recall being impressed at the time. After all, there have been much greater works that I have heard where the music didn't stick the first time around.

Use Windows Media Player. I think WAX is effectively the same thing as WMA.

Edit: I now see that the site contains a number of Tsintsadze's works, including cello concertos. Embed your links next time so I don't miss them.

That's interesting. The no. 2 and the "Haydn" concertos don't have any cadenzas. I recently discovered a recording of the first concerto with the cellist Jiri Hosek through youtube and I don't recall it have a cadenza either. I don't know about his third and fourth concertos. Perhaps he saw it unnecessary to add a cadenza because the writing for the concertos, although not so much in the "Haydn", is very showy.

Where did you read that story about Popper and Volkmann? I remember De'ak's biography of Popper said that he made a number of changes to the Volkmann concerto through his career but I don't remember it saying that Volkmann ever got angry over this or anything else. That's especially interesting since the Volkmann concerto already has a cadenza.

Yes. It's the second one in the set. It's not surprising that Isserlis recorded it. I think he wrote the notes for the Shafran CD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW7DRiayPU8p

Tsintsadze wrote other pieces for cello including concertos. Unless I am confusing him with Khachaturian, who I know for sure was a cellist, Tsintsadze was a cellist himself. Unfortunately, I doubt any recordings exist.

the Second Cello Concerto (shunned by its proposed dedicatee Popper)

That's funny. I think Raff's concerto is better than any of Popper's that I have heard.

I am not very familiar with Tsintsadze's music. The only recording I have of his music is from the Daniil Shafran CD "Russian Soul" which contains the Prokofiev Symphony Concerto, Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No. 2, and Five Georgian Dances by Tsintsadze. I see that someone uploaded them to youtube if you are curious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhlM3AMnSSQ&playnext=1&list=PL0CA1BFDF3811E96D

Has Molique's (D major, and unquestionably Romantic ) cello concerto been recorded commercially yet? I have heard a radio tape only.  I'm impressed, though. (Cello and piano reduction at
http://imslp.org/wiki/Cello_Concerto,_Op.45_(Molique,_Bernhard) )
Eric

I have wanted to hear this concerto for a long time but I haven't been able to find a recording of it. When was it broadcast?

This is a real interesting find. I only listened to the free sample (very generous at 9:51!). I wouldn't worry about this replacing the cello concerto. The violin's lower register isn't its strong suit. There are several parts that sounds like a boy delivering a speech that should be by a man. I especially wonder what the second movement would sound like.