Constantine Orbelian, the conductor, is a four-time Grammy-nominated artist and has been the Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra since 2013.
Album & Artwork
This album, titled "Hidden Legacies," aims to highlight the works of Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Korngold, whose music reflects their personal trials and serves as an enduring legacy of hope.
Instruments
Kristina Reiko Cooper performs on a 1743 Guadagnini cello, known as the 'Ex-Havermeyer'.
Performer Biography
Kristina Reiko Cooper, the cellist on this recording, is a Grammy-nominated artist who has performed internationally and champions new works, including commissioning Lera Auerbach's Symphony No. 6 'Vessels of Light'.
Composer Biography
Mieczysław Weinberg, a Polish-born Jew, escaped Nazi invasions twice and later faced arrest and imprisonment in the Soviet Union under trumped-up charges of 'Jewish bourgeois nationalism'.
Historical Context
Both composers, Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Korngold, faced persecution due to their Jewish heritage amidst the tumultuous 20th century.
Composition History
Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Cello Concerto in C major, Op. 37, originated as an integral part of his final film score for Warner Brothers in 1946, for the film "Deception."
