Comments on: Conductor – Soloist

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 23:02:22 +0000

One little anecdote about Feuermann: I heard this from my teacher Mihaly (Misi) Virizlay, another great Hungarian cellist who inherited (at first on loan, later as a gift) Feuermann’s Montagnana cello. If you’ ve seen the video of Feuermann playing the Dvorak Rondo, that’s the one. Evidently, before Feuermann had the Montagnana, he owned a Strad, and he ocassionally would show off his athleticism by suspending the cello by the neck and end-pin between two chairs and jumping over it, naturally while smoking a cigarette. Anyhow, one time he missed and landed right square between the f-holes. But he didn’t get upset at all, just pulled the cigarette out of his mouth, shrugged his shoulders and said “oh well, I will just have to buy another.”

By: Alban

Alban — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:48:05 +0000

Hi Florian,
I don’t know much about Mr.Feuermann except that he was probably one of the best cellists who ever lived – at least judging from some of his recordings. Eva Lehnsten was very young when they got married, and he was extremely young when he died, so she outlived him about 60 years, I think. I met her a couple of times while living in NY, as a matter of fact, I did a little concert at her retirement home in upstate New York as a dress rehearsal for my EMI debut disc (this Spanish encore album) which I felt very honoured to do, not only because of her relation to Feuermann but because she was a very special lady. Lots of hardship; she not only outlived Feuermann but also her second husband as well as her daughter. Tragic, but she never complained and wasn’t bitter at all, rather incredibly positive and energetic for her old age. I am very, very sorry and sad that I had lost contact with her towards the end. After I moved back to Germany I didn’t see her anymore, and she died a couple of years ago.
After my concert in London few weeks ago a critic from the Independent, Annette Morreau, introduced herself. She has written a book about Feuermann which I just ordered on Amazon, and she had told me that Eva Lehnsten whom she had met in the research for the book had told her to “check me out” – very sweet of her, I felt very flattered and guilty when I heard that, guilty because of my inability to stay in touch with a very special person.
No plans to record the Schoenberg yet, and yes, there is the YoYo ma recording, which doesn’t really do justice to the piece (he was very young, it’s all a bit too agressive for my taste, to hard), and also Heinrich Schiff has recorded it, but I don’t know this one.
Best wishes from Porto,
Alban

By: Florian

Florian — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 03:47:20 +0000

Tell us more about Eva Lehnsten and Mr. Feuermann!
Do you also record the Schoenberg- I only know of the Yo-Yo Ma CD (b…g).
Have fun!