Cadenza to Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto in D (1910)
Achron's work in the field of Jewish music, composing new classical works based on Jewish musical folklore, is well-known. Less known is Achron's prolific use of classical music, including transcriptions and "free transcriptions" of works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann, among others, and "improvisations" for string orchestra on works by Rameau and Stephen Foster. His piano accompaniments to the solo violin caprices of Paganini completely change the mood of the original compositions, introducing new harmonic and formal structures and often placing the pianist on equal (or higher) importance with the violinist. An active concert violinist, Achron wrote many concerto cadenzas for his own and others' use, including a "triple" cadenza for the Vivaldi Concerto for Three Violins, performed in Carnegie Hall by Jascha Heifetz, Leopold Auer, and Efrem Zimbalist, and an enigmatic cello cadenza to Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, the purpose and origins of which are unknown. Many of these works have never been published or recorded and thus remain unknown.
The Joseph Achron Society is pleased to present the first published edition of Achron's cadenza to Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, based on the manuscript found in Achron's archive in Jerusalem, thanks to the work of Russian-Israeli musicologist Leonid Butir. Little is known of the origins of this fascinating cadenza, only that it is the only known cello cadenza by Achron (who was a violinist), and that the manuscript was signed with the place and date of composition: Rostov-on-Don, July 1910 (almost 100 years ago to the month).
- Samuel Elliot Zerin; May 20, 2010.
The Joseph Achron Society is pleased to present the first published edition of Achron's cadenza to Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, based on the manuscript found in Achron's archive in Jerusalem, thanks to the work of Russian-Israeli musicologist Leonid Butir. Little is known of the origins of this fascinating cadenza, only that it is the only known cello cadenza by Achron (who was a violinist), and that the manuscript was signed with the place and date of composition: Rostov-on-Don, July 1910 (almost 100 years ago to the month).
- Samuel Elliot Zerin; May 20, 2010.
| Joseph Achron: Cadenza to Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major |
