Shostakovich wrote the work for his friend Mstislav Rostropovich, who committed it to memory in four days and gave the premiere on October 4, 1959, with Yevgeny Mravinsky conducting the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in the Large Hall of the Leningrad Conservatory. — Wikipedia
Cello Concerto No. 1
in E-flat major, Op. 107
Composed in 1959
By Dmitri Shostakovich
Known commonly as the Christmas Concerto, this work was commissioned by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni and published posthumously in 1714. Read more →
Still writing under the influence of classically-oriented German masters like Mendelssohn and Brahms, scored the Serenade for a wind ensemble very similar to that of Mozart’s great Serenade for Thirteen Winds. Read more →
Heralded as a “promising new compositional voice” by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Kansas City native Stephanie Berg’s music has been met with enthusiasm, and has been described as fun, creative, vivid and unabashedly cinematic. Read more →
The piece established Rachmaninoff's fame as a concerto composer and is one of his most enduringly popular pieces. Read more →
Nico Giacalone has recently won second prize in the International Mozart Competition in Vienna. He also graduated this past year with a Master’s Degree from the Mannes Conservatory and was awarded the Steinway Award for outstanding work as a performer and supportive classmate. Read more →