Brahms's Double Concerto was unusual for its time in combining violin and cello as solo instruments, requiring special care in scoring to balance their ranges and power with the orchestra.
Performer Biography
Raphael Wallfisch, the cellist, won the Gaspar Cassadó International Cello Competition in 1977 and records exclusively for Chandos.
Critical Reception
Brahms's Double Concerto was met with only modest enthusiasm by the public and critics at its premiere, leading the composer to focus on chamber music afterward.
Recording & Production
The Brahms concerto on this album was recorded on July 9, 1988, and the Bruch concerto on July 13, 1988, both at St Jude's Church in Central Square, London.
Composer Biography
Max Bruch, despite his academic honors and long career, was aware that his music was considered old-fashioned in post-Wagnerian Germany and suffered comparisons to Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Spohr.
Performer Biography
Lydia Mordkovitch, the violinist on this recording, was born in the USSR and studied with the renowned violinist David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory.
Composition History
Johannes Brahms composed his Double Concerto to mend a strained friendship with Joseph Joachim, a violinist, and also with Joseph Hausmann, the cellist of the Joachim Quartet.
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Brahms: Violin Concerto D major op. 77, Concerto for Violin & Cello a minor op. 102
