The Variations on a Nursery Song for piano and orchestra, Op. 25, is likely Dohnányi's most famous work today, although his 'Wedding Waltz' from The Veil of Pierrette was equally popular decades ago.
Composer Biography
Ernst von Dohnányi, born in Prešporok (modern-day Bratislava), was predisposed to a cosmopolitan career due to his birthplace being in the tri-state area of Slovenia, Austria, and Hungary.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ernst von Dohnányi inscribed on the manuscript of his Variations on a Nursery Song: 'For the enjoyment of those with a sense of humor; to the annoyance of everyone else.'
Performer Biography
Andrei Ioniţă, the cellist on this album, won First Prize at the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition and was a BBC New Generation Artist from 2016-2018.
Composition History
Dohnányi's Konzertstück for Cello and Orchestra in D major, Op. 12, was indirectly inspired by his father, Friedrich Dohnányi, an excellent amateur cellist who took a keen interest in his son's work.
Composer Biography
During World War II, Ernst von Dohnányi tried to protect Jewish members of the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra from expulsion, despite the increasing influence of National Socialist policies in Hungary.
Composition History
The Concertino for Harp and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 45, was Dohnányi's penultimate orchestral work and his only composition from 1952, written during a period when his compositional output had significantly declined.
You might also enjoy...
Gabriel Erkoreka: Cello Concerto, Tres Sonetos de Michelangelo & Piano Concerto
Richard Rodney Bennett: Orchestral Works Vol. 5
Rautavaara, E.: Concertos
A Talk of Our Time
Modern Times: Dutch Jewish Composers 1928-1943
Sculthorpe: Irkanda I and Iv / Lament / Sonata No. 2 / Cello Dreaming / Djilile
