# and don't forget the cello neither!



## oisfetz

A short quiz for cello experts:
1) name a famous violinist and composer who left 2 fine cello concertos.
2) name an englishman who wrote a Symphony for cello and orchestra.
3) name a cellist and composer of operettas and some film music who left romantic cello concertos.
4) name a modern russian who left 2 very beautiful and romantic cello sonatas.
5) name a jewish virtuoso cellist and composer of 4 very difficult cello concertos.
6) name who composed a sonata-fantasia for solo cello.
7) name a very famous pianist who left an exceedingly queer cello concerto.


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## ChamberNut

oisfetz said:


> 4) name a modern russian who left 2 very beautiful and romantic cello sonatas.


Prokofiev ?


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## opus67

It could be any Russian; it just depends on the reader's definitions of modern and beautiful.


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## oisfetz

"Modern" applies to the composer; not the works,that are totally romantic.


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## Lisztfreak

oisfetz said:


> 2) name an englishman who wrote a Symphony for cello and orchestra.


Benjamin Britten, that's the only one I'm sure I know.



> 3) name a cellist and composer of operettas and some film music who left romantic cello concertos.


Lloyd Webber, perhaps?



> 5) name a jewish virtuoso cellist and composer of 4 very difficult cello concertos.


Mischa Mayski?



> 6) name who composed a sonata-fantasia for solo cello.


J.S. Bach, I suppose. (I probably suppose wrongly...)


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## oisfetz

No.2), YES! Britten. A very, very difficult piece

The rest, no. Sorry.


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## opus67

1. I'm tempted to say Vieuxtemps again, but I'll say Ysaye this time. 

Or maybe Wieniawski.


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## oisfetz

YES sir, Vieuxtemps!. 2 lovely cello concerti. You should follow your tentations. After all,like OW used to say; "I can resist everything, except tentation".
And Wieniawsky (Henri) didn't wrote nothing except for violin. His brother, Joseph, a
pianist and unknown composer, had a cello sonata.


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## Lisztfreak

> The rest, no. Sorry.


Ah, well, I suppose you can't have everything... particularly when entering the realms of guesswork.


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## oisfetz

OK, 7th.you'll never answer. It was Friedrich Gulda. His cello concerto is the
craziest piece I ever heard. And awfully difficult. That's why nobody ever
plays it live. Only know one recording.


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## oisfetz

OK, it seems that you don't care much for the cello, so let's finish this:

3) Victor Herbert

4) Nicolai Miaskovski

5) David Popper

6) Khatchaturian

Bye Bye..


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## opus67

oisfetz said:


> OK, it seems that you don't care much for the cello


Not me. It's just that I'm getting to know many of the composers/performers only through the quizzes of yours.


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## oisfetz

Well, as a fanatic collector of rarities, I could name a lot of other unknown and/or
forgotten composers and works, but I don't want to bore you.


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## Hexameron

oisfetz said:


> 4) Nicolai Miaskovski


I recently discovered the piano sonatas of this fellow and was blown away; so thank you for noting his two cello sonatas because I'll definitely check them out.



> Well, as a fanatic collector of rarities, I could name a lot of other unknown and/or
> forgotten composers and works, but I don't want to bore you.


Lay them on us - it's always good to have some neglected composers queued up for exploration. I have my fair share at the moment, but who else outside the standard composer pantheon could you recommend for, say... Romantic violin sonatas?


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## oisfetz

Romantic violin sonatas?. Sure thing:

Franck
Saint-Saëns first (try to get Heifetz!)
Guillomme Lekeu (Ferras or Menuhin)
Faure first (Francescatti-Casadesus)
Karl Goldmark
Josef Foerster
GRIEG! (the 3 of it)
Dvorak (Josef Suk)
Schumann
Dohnanyi
Richard Strauss (Heifetz)
Mendelssohn
Respighi (Heifetz again!)
That's enough for starters


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## Hexameron

Thanks, oisfetz, for the enticing list. I've been impressed with Dohnanyi's Piano Concerti and piano etudes, so I think I'll check into his violin sonata.


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## oisfetz

About Dohnanyi there's an old and magnificent version by young Ruggero Ricci.
Don't know if it exist on CD.


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## Manuel

I'm so sorry I'm late... I had a tough exam yesterday and stepped out TC for a while.

I knew Vieuxtemps, Britten, Gulda and Herbert (I re-listened his second cello concerto last week, many times).

The Gulda concerto is available in video, played by one of the Capuçons, I think. And in cd there's a nice cd with Heinrich Schiff, coupled with the exotic _Concerto for Ursula_.


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## oisfetz

The version I've is coupled with a cello concerto by Arthur Sullivan (!)


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## Manuel

oisfetz said:


> The version I've is coupled with a cello concerto by Arthur Sullivan (!)


I know you have (at least) the one by Martin Ostertag. That's the one broadcasted in one of your radio programes many years ago. Gulda's cello concerto was that day's Mistery work.
That was the first time I heard the concerto, and I remember I taped it. _I used to tape your complete radio programs, actually._


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## Elaryad

oisfetz said:


> OK, 7th.you'll never answer. It was Friedrich Gulda. His cello concerto is the craziest piece I ever heard. And awfully difficult. That's why nobody ever[/quote plays it live. Only know one recording.



That cello concerto is really crazy. I didn't like a single note of the 1st movement, but I admire those who can perform it. When it was composed? You know really strange stuff.
Can you recommend me some cello concertos, sonatas, etc., in the vein of shostakovich's?
Thanks a lot!


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## oisfetz

About Gulda's, the CD is german and the booklet in german,but I think it says 1980.
Some other modern pieces (look for Slava!)
Lev KNIPPER c.c.
VAINBERG c.c.
Boris TISCHENKO c.c.
KHTCHATURIAN Concerto-Rhapsody
Nina KOTOVA c.c.
Vladimir VLASOV c.c.
Hans PFITZNER 3 c.c.
BRITTEN symphony for c.and o.


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## Elaryad

Thanks a lot! I'm always looking for Slava, yes


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## Elaryad

*oisfetz*, it's very hard to find your recommendations! 

Do you know some baroque pieces to play on the cello? Or some recordings too?
Does musicians usually make transcriptions for cello from viola da gamba?

I'm asking this because I would like to explore the baroque repertoire for the cello, but I don't know what to look for.


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## Kezza

I just watched The Gulda Cello Concerto on youtube. Played by Gautier Capucon. I must say it is so damn cool!!! Freaking Awesome.

I don't see how it would be much more difficult than Shosta or Elgar but then I again I have absolutely no idea how to play Cello.

But if people are intersted it's on Youtube.


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## Elaryad

Yes I did see it. But didn't like it. Mostly because that kind of music is not what I look for.
If it's difficult or not I don't know. It's relative, if you're comparing with Shostakovich or Elgar. They're both very difficult concertos and both very beautiful, except Gulda's (it's a question of taste).


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## thatperson

oisfetz said:


> A short quiz for cello experts:
> 1) name a famous violinist and composer who left 2 fine cello concertos.
> 2) name an englishman who wrote a Symphony for cello and orchestra.
> 3) name a cellist and composer of operettas and some film music who left romantic cello concertos.
> 4) name a modern russian who left 2 very beautiful and romantic cello sonatas.
> 5) name a jewish virtuoso cellist and composer of 4 very difficult cello concertos.
> 6) name who composed a sonata-fantasia for solo cello.
> 7) name a very famous pianist who left an exceedingly queer cello concerto.


1: dvorak???? idk i think im wrong though haha
2. definitely britten
3. victor herbert?
4. Miaskovsky
5. davidov
6. Crumb??? (the first movement is called fantasia lmao)
7. is it dutilleux, prokofiev, or barber?

This was lots of fun haha


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## Head_case

Hexameron said:


> I recently discovered the piano sonatas of this fellow [Myaskovsky] and was blown away; so thank you for noting his two cello sonatas because I'll definitely check them out.


Yes - it's great o see some wonderful discoveries, like the complete Myaskovsky piano sonatas, and his string quartet cycle (13 of them) and his 2 cello sonatas and solitary cello concerto and solitary violin concerto. His work all hold a strongly lyrical vein and although in the romantic tradition, is in the very late 20th century era of the romantic tradition...


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## PicklePepperPiper

*oisfetz*, hit us with as many obscure cello solo pieces as you've got! I'm up for it!
-PPP


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