Eugène Ysaÿe, a brilliant violinist and conductor, was diffident about his own compositions, admitting he mistrusted their value to avoid publishing 'banal, poor, unworthy' works.
Performer Biography
Alban Gerhardt, the cellist on this recording, launched his career in 1991 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and is known for researching and recording lesser-known works.
Composer Biography
Vieuxtemps spent his last years in a sanatorium in Algiers, where the warm climate helped him recuperate and compose, including his Cello Concerto No. 2.
Compositional Technique
Ysaÿe's Méditation, subtitled 'Poème', uses unusual notation with single numbers above the stave (e.g., '3', '5', '9') instead of conventional time signatures to indicate numerous metre changes.
Critical Reception
Despite an enthusiastic review predicting a great future for Vieuxtemps's Cello Concerto No. 1, it quickly faded from the repertoire until its rediscovery by enterprising soloists.
Composer Biography
Henry Vieuxtemps, a prolific composer and one of the greatest violinists of his age, suffered a series of debilitating strokes in 1873, which ended his playing career and left him partially paralysed.
Composition History
Vieuxtemps completed his Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor after his playing career ended, and it was premiered at the inauguration of the new Brussels Conservatoire.
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