Artist description The combination of violin and cello, while a constant in chamber music throughout the history of western concert music, did not come into its own as an independent ensemble until the early part of this century. Certainly the cello had been used as a continuo instrument in baroque violin sonatas, but those works are not duos in the sense of equal partnership that we now associate with that word. Since the groundbreaking duo by Kodály established the virtuosic possibilities of this ensemble, a number of composers have fashioned duos that rank among their most important works. It seems as though the challenge of writing for violin and cello has inspired composers to unusual heights of formal and technical display. The duo of Gil Morgenstern and Darrett Adkins was formed with the conviction that this repertoire needs to be interpreted with the same care that it was fashioned, that its inherent compositional brilliance and virtuosity require equally brilliant and virtuosic interpreters, whose commitment to the repertoire is long-term. This recording presents three major milestones of the repertoire, spanning almost the entire century. (D. Adkins)

Music Style Classical Chamber Music, Strings

Musical Influences 20th Centruy Music, Jazz, Classical

Similar Artists Yo-Yo Ma, Menuhin, Rostrapovich, Stern

Artist History Gil Morgenstern, Violin: Whether as soloist with orchestra, in recital or as a chamber musician, violinist Gil Morgenstern has performed all over the world to overwhelming critical acclaim. He has toured extensively on five continents, playing in such musical centers as New York, London, Paris, Berlin and Hong Kong, and has performed throughout the United States, appearing with many leading orchestras including the Baltimore, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Denver, Milwaukee, New Jersey and North Carolina Symphonies. In addition to his solo work, Morgenstern is the violinist and Artistic Director of the Broyhill Chamber Ensemble, a uniquely diverse chamber group specializing in Classical, Romantic and contemporary works of mixed instrumentation. Its discography includes chamber works of Gabriel Faure, Ludwig van Beethoven and Aaron Copland. Morgenstern is also at the vanguard of inter-disciplinary performance having collaborated on original works of music and theatre, dance and the visual arts. He is the co-founder and Co-Artistic Director of NCNY Dance, and of 9th Circle Chamber Theatre Co.; creative organizations dedicated to fully exploring and expanding the collaborative nature of inter-disciplinary performance. In 1991, Mr. Morgenstern was appointed Artistic Director of An Appalachian Summer Festival located in the Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. Under his direction, it has become one of this country's leading regional performing and visual arts festivals as well as an important venue for the commissioning and presenting of new works. Morgenstern has been the recipient of many honors and awards including first prize in two of the country's most demanding competitions: The Washington International and The National Society of Arts and Letters. He has performed at the White House in honor of His Royal Majesty Juan Carlos, King of Spain and his wife, Queen Sofia, and at President Clinton's inaugural festivities. Morgenstern is a graduate of the Juilliard School where he studied with the famed violin pedagogue Ivan Galamian. Darrett Adkins, Violoncello: Darrett Adkins, cellist, has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting young cellists in America. As the winner of the Bunkamura Orchard Hall Award, cellist Darrett Adkins appeared with the Tokyo Philharmonic and the Tochio Soloisten and in recital throughout Japan. He recently gave the first American performance of Donatoni's cello concerto "Le ruisseau sur la escaliera" with George Benjamin conducting at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, and had his debut with the North Carolina Symphony. He has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S. and Japan, as a recitalist and chamber musician. Recently, Darrett Adkins has performed with the New Hampshire Symphony (in Dvorak's Concerto), the Monadnock Festival Orchestra (in Schumman's Concerto), the Manhattan Virtuosi (in Haydn's C Major Concerto) and the Ashland Symphony Orchestra (in Tchaikowski's Rococo Variations and Pezzo Capricioso). Darrett Adkins has a particular interest in the recital repertoire of the twentieth century. In addition to a recital of Faure's music in New York and an evening of Post-Polka music in Spokane, he recently performed recitals at universities around the country celebrating Norwegian resistance composer Harald Saeverud's centennial. His recital at the Museum of Modern Art's Summergarden Series of American cello music of the 1950's and 1960's received great critical acclaim, as have recitals with Spokane's New Music series, Zephyr. His doctoral document at Juilliard examines the turn-of-century America's contribution to the cello repertoire, and will result in performances and recordings of many unknown works. Mr. Adkins is assistant cello faculty at the Juilliard School, and has taught cello at the Encore School for Strings.

Group Members Gil Morgenstern, Violin. Darrett Adkins, Violoncello

Instruments Violin, Violoncello

Albums 20th Century String Duos

Additional Info Recorded May 1997 in Bolton, MA. Recording Engineer: Daniel Czernecki. Recording Producer: Elliott Miles McKinley. Digital Mastering & Editing: MWorks (Cambridge, MA).

Location New York, NY - USA

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