Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface and acknowledgements
- 1 Dvořák and the cello
- 2 Preludes to the Concerto
- 3 The Concerto and Dvořák's ‘American manner’
- 4 ‘Decisions and revisions’: sketch and compositional process
- 5 The score I: forms and melodies
- 6 The score II: interpretations
- 7 Performers and performances
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Select discography
- Index
7 - Performers and performances
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface and acknowledgements
- 1 Dvořák and the cello
- 2 Preludes to the Concerto
- 3 The Concerto and Dvořák's ‘American manner’
- 4 ‘Decisions and revisions’: sketch and compositional process
- 5 The score I: forms and melodies
- 6 The score II: interpretations
- 7 Performers and performances
- Notes
- Select bibliography
- Select discography
- Index
Summary
Wihan and virtuosity
By the time the thirty-three-year-old Wihan succeeded his teacher František Hegenbarth as professor of cello at the Prague Conservatory in 1888, he was already a seasoned performer. He had been appointed a professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg at the tender age of eighteen and had played in orchestras in Berlin, Sonderhausen and Munich. During his time as principal cellist of the Court Orchestra at Munich, Wihan became acquainted with Richard Strauss, gave a number of performances of the young composer's early Romance for cello and orchestra, and took part in the première of his String Quartet in A major, op. 2, on 14 March 1881. Strauss, for his part, dedicated his Cello Sonata, op. 6, ‘Seinem lieben Freunde Herrn Hans Wihan’ and then promptly fell passionately in love with Wihan's wife, Dora.
The part he played in convincing Dvořák that the cello was a suitable concertante instrument and his prompting of the composer to write the Concerto has already been rehearsed. But his role did not stop with inspiration. Dvořák was certainly willing to take advice from cellists while composing the work. One such was the Dutch cellist Josef Hollmann (1852–1927) about whose reaction to the Concerto Dvořák wrote as follows:
The Concerto for Cello will soon be ready [the letter was written on 28 January 1894 in New York only days before he first completed the Concerto on 9 February], I have only the finale to complete. There is here an excellent cellist, Hollmann from London; he was with me and I played him the Concerto; he both liked it and congratulated me that it was very successful.
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- Information
- Dvorák: Cello Concerto , pp. 86 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1999