Dvořák's earlier Cello Concerto in A Major, completed in 1865, was composed at the request of cellist Ludvik Peer, who took the manuscript with him to Germany, and it was believed Dvořák forgot about it.
Composer Biography
Antonin Dvořák, composer of the Cello Concerto in B Minor, initially held a low opinion of the cello as a solo instrument, considering it only suitable for orchestras or chamber ensembles.
Composition History
Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104, was written at the urging of Professor Wihan, who repeatedly reminded Dvořák about the concerto until he finally composed it.
Composition History
Dvořák began sketching his Cello Concerto in B Minor while on the steamship Bismarck, returning to New York after spending summer holidays in his homeland.
Performer Biography
Ramon Jaffé, the cellist on this album, was born in Riga, Latvia, to a family of musicians and studied under his father, Don Jaffé, until receiving his diploma.
Critical Reception
An orchestral version of Dvořák's Cello Concerto in A Major, arranged by Günter Raphael, was performed in 1930, but Dvořák's biographer Otakar Šourek considered the editor's interventions too radical.
Composer Biography
Hanuš Wihan, the cellist for whom Dvořák composed the Cello Concerto in B Minor, was a virtuoso who enchanted Tchaikovsky and was dedicated a sonata by the young Richard Strauss.
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