Othmar Schoeck; Kurt Weill - Cello Sonatas (Johannes Goritzki; David Levine)

Information

Composer: Othmar Schoeck; Kurt Weill

• Schoeck - Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. posth
• Weill - Sonata for Cello and Piano

Johannes Goritzki, cello

David Levine, piano

Date: 1990

Label: Claves

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Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss Romantic composer and conductor known for his extensive output of art songs. He studied at the Zurich and Leipzig conservatories under Friedrich Hegar and Max Reger. Based in Zurich, he worked as a composer, accompanist, and for over 20 years, chief conductor of the City Orchestra of St. Gallen. His notable works include the opera Penthesilea and concertos for violin, cello and horn. Schoeck's music was championed by renowned conductors and singers of his time, and in recent years, his work has seen renewed international recognition.

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Kurt Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer. He showed early musical talent and received formal training in Berlin, studying under teachers including Engelbert Humperdinck and Ferruccio Busoni. Weill rose to prominence in Germany through collaborations with playwrights like Georg Kaiser and especially Bertolt Brecht, with whom he created The Threepenny Opera (1928). However, as a Jewish composer, his career in Germany was cut short by the rise of the Nazi regime. Fleeing to the U.S. in 1935, Weill became a key figure on Broadway, collaborating with top American writers.

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Johannes Goritzki (1942–2018) was a German cellist and conductor. He studied with Atis Teichmanis, Gaspar Cassadó and André Navarra, and also attended masterclasses with Pablo Casals. Goritzki performed widely as a soloist and chamber musician, using a Matteo Goffriller cello now played by Sheku Kanneh-Mason. In 1967, he co-founded the Rottweil Chamber Concerts and later established the Kammerakademie Rottweil. In 1978, he founded the Deutsche Kammerakademie in Neuss, focusing increasingly on conducting. He made over 40 recordings and taught at music institutions in Trossingen and Düsseldorf.

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