Historical Events of April 17
17 April
** 1826 - on this day English cellist Robert Lindley performed with the double bassist Dragonetti a sonata of Corelli (in London)
** 1843 - birth of Louis Noebe (Güstrow, Germany)
cellist, member Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, member court chapel of Weimar, principal cello in Hamburg Orchestra and in the Orchestra of the Museums Concerts of Frankfurt-upon-Main, director of a violin instrument studio with new patents
** 1864 – cello soloist David Popper performed Volkmann’s Cello Concerto, Op.33 once again (at least the fourth time in the space of less than 12 months) at a Löwenberg Orchestra Concert. He had, in fact, played the same work just a few days before.
** 1870 - the last performance was given at the Kärtnertortheater before its demolition - the featured opera was ‘William Tell’ with cellist David Popper performing the opening cello solo!
(Vienna)
** 1898 – birth of Grace Becker Vamos (Berkeley, California, U.S.A.) d.1992
cellist, composer and educator. She formed the Trio Moderne with flutist Christine Howells Pfund and harpist Marie Hughes Marguarrie
** 1903 - birth of Gregor Piatigorsky (Dnipro, Ukraine) d.1976
cellist, chamber musician, arranger, composer & teacher {based USA}
A world-renowned cellist known for his "glorious low-register sound" and powerful musical expression. He achieved early success as principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic before launching a celebrated international solo career, marked by extensive recordings and collaborations with legendary musicians like Arthur Schnabel and Jascha Heifetz. Later in life, he became an influential teacher and settled in the United States, where he taught masterclasses and continued to inspire new generations of cellists.
** 1913 - cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Three concerts, in Amsterdam (17th and 20th April) and Paris (2nd May), conducted by Willem Mengelberg
** 1958 - birth of Michael Bach {Bachtischa} (Worms, Germany}
cellist, composer & visual artist
** 1973 - first performance of Helmut Eder - Melodia-Ritmica, for 12 Cellos, Op.59 N.1
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (Salzburg, Austria)
** 1974 - on this day cellist Paul Tortelier made a live recording with violinist Yan Pascal Tortelier, of the Brahms - Double Concerto in A minor, from the London Royal Festival Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Pritchard
** 1975 – on the 17th, 18th and 19th of this month, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Bernstein), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)
** 1983 - first performance of Klaus Wüsthoff - Cellodrom, for 12 Cellos
The 12 Cellos of the Berlin Philharmonic (televised concert, SFB, Berlin)
** 1984 – on the 12th, 13th, 14th and 17th of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Davis), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)
** 1991 - Release date (premiere screened in France) of the film “Delicatessen”
directed by Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, starring Marie-Laure Dougnac, Dominique Pinon and Pascal Benezech
A post-apocalyptic surrealist black comedy about the landlord of an apartment building who occasionally prepares a delicacy for his odd tenants - famous for a duo performance of cello and musical saw.
** 1998 – the premiere took place on this day of Torbjörn Engström’s Cello Concerto (written in 1992-1993), by cellist Åsa Åkerberg, with the ‘KammarensembleN’, conducted by Staffan Larsson, in Örebro, Sweden. He had also written a smaller concertino for cello and string orchestra in 1992. The composer was born in 1963.
