Elgar & Bridge: Cello Concertos

Featuring

Gabriel Schwabe
Christopher Ward
ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Edward Elgar
Frank Bridge

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Album & Artwork

The album cover features the painting 'Wittenham Clumps' (1912) by Paul Nash, a British painter known for his war art.

Critical Reception

Sir Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor had an unsuccessful premiere in 1919 due to inadequate rehearsal time, but later gained unflagging popularity after a 1924 broadcast.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Frank Bridge changed the subtitle of his work from Concerto elegiaco to Oration to emphasize his conception of the work as a funeral address and an outcry against the futility of war, with the solo cello as orator.

Critical Reception

Frank Bridge's Oration remained unperformed for 40 years after its early hearings, only to be radically reassessed and confirmed as one of his greatest works in the 1970s.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in December 2020 at the Grosser Sendesaal, ORF Radiokulturhaus, Vienna, Austria.

Historical Context

The two cello and orchestra pieces on this album, by Sir Edward Elgar and Frank Bridge, were both affected by the cataclysm of the First World War.

Performer Biography

Gabriel Schwabe, the cellist on this recording, is a laureate of numerous international competitions and plays an instrument by Giuseppe Guarneri (Cremona, 1695).