The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, established in 1914, is described as the oldest and foremost orchestra in Africa.
Performer Biography
Peter Martens, the cellist on this recording, is the Director of the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival and was formerly the principal cellist of The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Interpretation
The conductor, Bernhard Gueller, was a cellist and played in the cello section of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra during Heinrich Schiff's recording of the Vieuxtemps Cello Concertos.
Performer Biography
Bernhard Gueller, the conductor, was formerly the music director of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and is currently the principal guest conductor of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Composition History
Henri Vieuxtemps' First Cello Concerto was praised by critics after its unofficial premiere in 1876 for enriching the virtuoso repertoire with a brilliant work.
Interpretation
The cellist Peter Martens chose to record Saint-Saëns' First Cello Concerto because it was the first concerto he ever played with an orchestra, the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra, in 1987.
Composition History
Camille Saint-Saëns' First Cello Concerto was premiered by Belgian cellist Auguste Tolbecque just three years before the first performance of Vieuxtemps' work.
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Antonio Meneses: Schumann / Saint-Saëns / Tchaikovsky
