Two of the cello concertos on this album, by Erno Dohnányi and Eugen d'Albert, were composed for the Strasburg-born cellist Hugo Becker, a respected teacher and chamber musician.
Composer Biography
Erno Dohnányi, born in Pozsony (now Bratislava), showed exceptional musicality as a child and became a leading international pianist.
Performer Biography
Carlos Kalmar, the conductor, was born in Uruguay to Austrian parents and won First Prize at the Hans Swarowsky Conducting Competition in Vienna in 1984.
Composer Biography
Eugen d'Albert, born in Glasgow, was a celebrated pianist and studied with Liszt, who considered him one of his most significant pupils.
Compositional Technique
Enescu's Symphonie concertante, like his Octet for Strings, features a thematic integrity where the opening theme generates all the structural material.
Performer Biography
Alban Gerhardt, the cellist on this recording, launched his career in 1991 with an invitation to play with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Composer Biography
George Enescu, born in Romania, began composing at age five and produced an astonishing number of works in his teens, including several 'school' symphonies.
