On this cello day

** 1710 - birth of Joseph Abaco {full name Joseph Marie Clément Ferdinand dall'Abaco} (Brussels) d.1805
cellist, court chamber orchestra & composer

** 1753 - birth of Franz Mensi (Bistra, Croatia)
catholic priest, cellist (and violinist), composer of religious and secular music

** 1875 - at the Crystal Palace Saturday Orchestral Concerts (South London) the featured invited soloists on this day were Miss Blanche Cole, Miss Palmer, Mr Edward Lloyd and Mr Whitney (vocalists), with the Crystal Palace Choir, and ‘Signor Piatti’ (cello) and Dr Stainer (organ).

** 1902 - birth of Paul Hermann (Budapest) d.1944
cellist, chamber musician & composer

** 1905 - cellist Gerard Hekking performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Haydn – Cello Concerto in D Major. Two concerts, in Amsterdam (5th March) and Den Haag (27th March), conducted by Willem Mengelberg

** 1915 – birth of Eva de Maizière [née Wener] (Hannover, Grmany) d.2003
She was a German artist, sculptor, and cellist.

** 1924 - the Brahms - Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra was performed on today’s date by soloists Paul Kochanski & Felix Salmond with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Damrosch

** 1927- at the Synod Hall, Castle Terrace (Edinburgh) a ‘Sunday Evening Concert’ took place with Mr A. Fachiri (cello) and Donald Tovey (piano).

** 1927 - birth of Mstislav Rostropovich (Baku, Azerbaijan SSR) d.2007
cellist, chamber musician & conductor. Champion of new cello repertoire.
Mstislav Rostropovich was a renowned Soviet-Russian cellist and conductor celebrated for his masterful technique and advocacy for human rights. He commissioned and premiered over 100 new works for the cello, significantly expanding its repertoire, and had close friendships with composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev. As a staunch advocate against Soviet government repression, he supported dissidents, which led to his exile in 1974 and the revocation of his citizenship in 1978. He was later able to return to Russia after the collapse of communism.

** 1930 – in a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra radio concert, Friedrich Buxbaum performed as cello soloist in Boccherini – Cello Concerto in Bb Major.  Conductor: Robert Heger

** 1940 – Norina Semino participated as cellist of the Zorian String Quartet in the premiere of Michael Tippett - String Quartet No. 2, at the Wigmore Hall, London. The group recorded the work later that same year.

** 1942 - first performance of Martinu - Cello Sonata No.2
Lucien Laporte/cello and Elly Bontempo/piano

** 1943 - Frieda Belinfante - cellist, conductor, human rights and active anti-Nazi resistance member - was part of the CKC resistance group that organized and executed the bombing of the population registry in Amsterdam on this day, which destroyed thousands of files (and hindered Nazi attempts to compare forged documents with documents in the registry).

** 1949 – on a Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra programme (three concerts; 26th, 27th and 28th March), Emanuel Brabec performed as cello soloist in Strauss – Don Quixote, Op.35. Conductor: Hans Knappertsbusch / Musikverein, Golden Hall, Vienna

** 1959 - birth of Michaela Fukačová (Brno, Czech Republic)
cellist, chamber musician and professor {based Denmark}
Michaela Fukačová is a Czech cellist, born in Brno into a family of musicologists. She took up the cello aged 14, and won the Beethoven Cello Competition just two years later. She was a major prize-winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Michaela Fukačová frequently performed in a duo with renowned Czech violinist Josef Suk, both in recital and concerto performances. In 1994 she was awarded the Czech Grammy Classic for the Best Solo Performance of the year. Since 1986, Michaela has lived in Denmark, where she was awarded the Danish Music Critics Prize. Enthusiastic responses to Michaela’s playing often stress her deeply moving interpretations and amazing ability to captivate the public.

** 1961 - birth of Rafael Figueroa (Puerto Rico)
cellist, orchestra principal cello & cello professor {based USA}

** 1963 - birth of Thomas Grossenbacher (Switzerland)
cellist & professor (of cello & chamber music at Zürcher Hochschule der Künste, Switzerland)

** 1971 - cellist Tibor de Machula performed as soloist with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, in Schumann - Cello Concerto, Op.129. Concert in Den Haag, conducted by Roberto Benzi

** 1975 – birth of Marta Sudraba (Latvia) d.2025
Cellist. Principal cello Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra.

** 1977 - in the National Gallery of Art, in Washington D.C., a recital was given by cellist Fritz Magg, with Gyorgy Sebok /piano

** 1979 - first performance of Sofia Gubaidulina - In croce for cello and organ
(Kazan, Russia)

** 1987 – on the 26th, 27th, 28th and 31st of this month, cellist Lorne Munroe performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Skrowakzewski), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)

** 1996 – birth of Leonor Swyngedouw (Belgium)
Soloist (competition winner), frequent chamber musician at festivals

1997 – The cellist Mstislav Rostropovich’s 70th birthday was marked by an official celebration at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, which was followed by a lavish reception at the Élysée Palace.

** 1999 – on the 25th, 26th and 27th of this month, cellist Han-Na Chang performed as invited soloist with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Dutoit), in the Avery Fisher Hall (New York)