On this cello day

** 1794 - birth of Mateusz Wielhorsky (St. Petersburg, Russia) d.1866 [Polish: Mateusz Wielhorski]
military colonel & cellist

** 1834 - in a letter on today’s date to Frederich Chopin, the composer’s sister Izabela recalled that the cellist Adam Herman (1800-1875) had played works by Chopin with her. Herman was at that point a teacher at the Warsaw Institute of Music.

** 1868 - birth of Eduard Wellenkamp (Hamburg, Germany)
cellist, member of Bülow Orchestra, member of the Fiedler and the Philharmonic Orchestras at Hamburg; cellist of the Koperzky Quartet, member of Professor Barth's Quartet at Hamburg; organist at the church of St. Gertrud (Hamburg?); composer

** 1885 - birth of Charles Warwick Evans (Bergen, Norway) d.1974
cellist

** 1906 - The ‘Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser’ had on previous occasions given glowing reports of Robert Hausmann, but on this review appearing on today’s date there was veiled criticism:
“Professor Hausmann's rich and expressive tone a constant source of joy to one many times during the evening, but he evinced a tendency or twice during the course of the two Quartets to ‘step outside the picture,’ and momentarily postpone his entries, to the detriment of the ‘ensemble’.”

** 1906 – Belian composer Louis Delune married the cellist (and pianist) Jeanne Fromont (1885-1960) on this day. Together they had two sons and a daughter, Geneviève, who was to be a future singer. Louis Delune also composed a collection of easy pieces for cello and piano in her own right, and she appears to be named as the cello teacher of famed French cellist André Hekking.

** 1919 - on 26th April 1919, at Frank Schuster’s London Westminster home, cellist Felix Salmond took part in private performances of Elgar’s new Quartet and Quintet, with Albert Sammons, W.H. Reed, Raymond Jeremy and William Murdoch. The generous Schuster footed the bill for this all-star ensemble and invited members of the musical press to hear the two works….

** 1929 - first performance of Dvorak - Cello Concerto No.1 in A Major (in cello & piano score)
soloist František Berka, with Otakar Vondrovic/piano (Prague)

** 1932 – dated on this day is a wonderful reference by William Pleeth’s former teacher, Julius Klengel; it is supposed to have been written in order to open up opportunities for the young professional. It read:
“Prof. Julius Klengel. Leipzig, 26.4.32. Kaiser Wilhelmstrasse 12.
William Pleeth from London, who was my pupil at the Leipzig Landeskoservatorium [sic] for several years, is an appearance that is not to be found every day amongst the cellists of our time. In spite of his youth, he plays the greatest part of the cello-literature that is necessary, in masterly manner, so that I cannot speak of a wonder-child, but indeed of a master-cellist. I am convinced that William Pleeth will soon have a first name amongst the concert-cellists of the present time.”

** 1937 – birth of Michael Grebanier (New York, NY) d.2019
cellist, orchestral principal cello - for 43 years he played an influential role in shaping the sound of the San Francisco Symphony cello section as its principal cellist beginning in 1977 until his passing in 2019.  Previously he was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra's cello section for four years and at 25, was appointed principal of the Pittsburgh Symphony, a post he held for 14 years. Chamber music also played an important role Grebanier's career. Together with violinist Jorja Fleezanis and pianist Garrick Ohlsson, he formed the FOG Trio.

** 1949 - in a concert at the Holywell Music Room (Oxford University Music Club and Union concert), Edmund Rubbra - Cello Sonata, Op.60 was performed by Raymond Dodd (cello) and Nigel Dodd (piano)

** 1953 – birth of Käthi {Katharina} Gohl Moser (Interthur)
cellist, baroque cellist. baroque cellist at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Solo cellist of ‘Ensemble 415’ and later a founding member of ‘La Cetra Barockorchester’ in Basel. Professor at the Basel Music Academy from 1988. and the FHNW University of Music in Basel from 1990. From 2002 she became a member of its management and from 2010 deputy head of the university. 1993-2000 she chaired ESTA Switzerland (European String Teachers Association) and later became a member of its international board. In 2016, Käthi Gohl Moser was elected President of the Swiss Musicians' Association (STV). Käthi Gohl Moser is a long-time member of the board of Gare du Nord Basel - Bahnhof für Neue Musik, as well as the board of trustees of the Brienz violin making school.

** 1956 – the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performed on tour in Tokyo (Takarazuka Theatre, Tokyo) with cellist Emanuel Brabec and violinist Willi Boskovsky featuring in Brahms – Double Concerto in A minor, Op.102.

** 1961 - first performance of Rodolfo Halffter - Cello Sonata, Op.26
Adolfo Odnoposoff (cello)/performers (in the ‘II Festival Interamericano de Música’, Washington DC, USA)

** 1961 - birth of Alexandre Alexandrovitch Kniazev (Moscow)
cellist and organist, named “Best musician of the year in Russia” in 1999.

** 1967 - first performance of Bernd Alois Zimmermann - Intercomunicazione, for cello and piano
Siegfried Palm/cello and Aloys Kontarsky/piano (Cologne, Germany)

** 1967 - first performance of Jolivet - Cello Concerto
soloist - Mstislav Rostropovich with Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra (Grand Hall of Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, Moscow)

** 1975 – birth of Erik Markus Sandlund (Norrfjärden, Sweden) d.2004
Swedish classical and lighter music cellist. He toured with jazz icon Ray Charles. He was a regular session cellist. He was tragically lost to the cello community in the 2004 Indian ocean earthquake and tsunami, his body being only found a half a year later.

** 1980 – on the 24th, 25th, 26th, 29th of this month, plus the 2nd May, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Mehta), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1982 - on this day cellist Paul Tortelier finished recording the 6 Bach - Solo Cello Suites, in London (the recordings were 14th to 17th April ’82, and 24th to 26th April ’82)

** 1983 - first performance of Bennett Zon - Cello Sonata and first Scottish performance of Walton - Passacaglia for solo cello
William Schofield/cello and David Gaukroger/piano (Reid Concert Hall, Edinburgh)

** 1988 - a Reid Lunch-hour Concert took place on today’s date at the Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh) with Penelope Lynex - cello and Malcolm Martineau - piano. The programme consisted of D.F. Tovey - Elegiac Variations, Op. 25, Debussy - Cello Sonata and Janacek - Fairy Tale

** 1996 - a Reid Lunch-hour Concert took place on today’s date at the Reid Concert Hall (Edinburgh) with Florian Kitt - violoncello and Rita Medjimorec - piano. The unusual programme consisted of Schumann - Phantasiestücke, op. 73, Gert Kuhr - Portraits, Nigel Osborne - Quasi una Fantasie for cello solo, and Stravinsky - Suite Italienne