Pfitzner's composition teacher, Iwan Knorr, also taught several other German composers and the 'Frankfurt School' of British composers, including Roger Quilter and Cyril Scott.
Instruments
Alban Gerhardt, the cellist on this recording, plays a cello made by Matteo Gofriller.
Composition History
Pfitzner's Cello Concerto in A minor, Op 52, completed in 1943, incorporates the main theme from his unperformed 1888 student cello concerto as a 'salute to my youth'.
Compositional Technique
Pfitzner is unusual among major composers for having written three cello concertos, with one from his student days and two from late in his career.
Composer Biography
Hans Pfitzner, a German composer known for his nationalistic views, was born in Moscow in 1869, though he considered Frankfurt am Main his hometown.
Composition History
Pfitzner's early Cello Concerto in A minor, Op posth., written in 1888, was inspired by his friendship with fellow student cellist Heinrich Kiefer.
Performer Biography
Cellist Alban Gerhardt, born into a musical family in Berlin, launched his career in 1991 with an invitation to play with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
