Miklós Rózsa - Sinfonia concertante; Cello Rhapsody (Nikita Boriso-Glebsky; Harriet Krijgh)

Information

Composer: Miklós Rózsa

• Sinfonia concertante, Op. 29
• Notturno ungherese, Op. 28
• Rhapsody for cello and orchestra, Op. 3

Nikita Boriso-Glebsky, violin

Harriet Krijgh, cello

Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz

Gregor Bühl, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Capriccio

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Review

In 1958, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky commissioned Rózsa to write a double concerto for him and violinist Jascha Heifetz. The first performance took place in Chicago under the baton of Jean Martinon. Rózsa later shortened the work, and the original double concerto became the Sinfonia concertante for violin, cello and orchestra. The music cannot hide Rózsa’s style as a film composer. The music is that of a passionate and atmospheric, sometimes very vehement drama, with a distinctly Hungarian flavor in the finale.

There are very good solo interludes, masterfully played by Harriet Krijgh and Nikita Boriso-Glebsky. The violinist in particular impresses with his rich and colorful playing.

The powerful music is followed by the meditative Notturno Ungheresen, which also has a Hungarian flavor, and concludes with the Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra. Harriet Knight’s interpretation of this work is as vivid as it is colorful, with a keen sense of the melodic lines. In all cases, the orchestra under Gregor Bühl offers idiomatic playing.

— Remy Franck

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Miklós Rózsa (April 18, 1907 – July 27, 1995) was a Hungarian-American composer, best known for his nearly one hundred film scores. Born in Budapest, he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and achieved early success with both concert and film music. The latter brought him to Hollywood, and Rózsa remained in the United States, becoming an American citizen in 1946. During his Hollywood career, he received three Oscars for Spellbound (1945), A Double Life (1947), and Ben-Hur (1959), while his concert works were championed by such major artists as Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, and János Starker.

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Nikita Boriso-Glebsky (born 30 August 1985 in in Volgodonsk) is a Russian violinist. He studied at the Rostov College of Arts, the Moscow State Conservatory, and Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel, and the Kronberg Academy. Boriso-Glebsky took part in major international competitions, winning Second prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2007, and First prize at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in 2010. He has performed regularly in Russia and abroad. Some of the festivals that he has taken part in include Salzburg Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, and Les Sons Intensifs (Lessines).

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Harriet Krijgh (born 1991) is a Dutch cellist. She studied at the Utrechts Conservatorium, the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, and the Kronberg Academy. Krijgh has performed in the major venues in Europe, North America and Asia with orchestras such as the Boston Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, London Philharmonic and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. She is also an enthusiastic chamber musician, enjoying strong personal connection with regular partners Magda Amara and Lauma Skride. Her discography can be found on Capriccio and Deutsche Grammophon labels.

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