Dear Music Lovers and Supporters, Last week we featured the 4th Movement of the Piano Concerto No. 2 (1881) by Johannes Brahms. This week’s musical offering is the 3rd Movement or Andante. The recording is from a concert by the BSO in May 2019 and is on YouTube: BSO plays Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, 3rd Mvt. The piano soloist is Nadia Azzi, with support of the Prodigy Project. The cello soloist is Greg Smith, principal cellist of the BSO. About the music, Maestro Fred Devyatkin writes, “More of the Brahms, with a lovely cello solo by our principal...

Dear Music Lovers and Supporters, Happy Thanksgiving! This week’s musical offering is the Second Movement, or Adagio, ma non troppo, of the Cello Concerto by Antonin Dvořák. The recording is from a concert by the BSO in February 2017 and is on YouTube: BSO plays Dvorak Cello Concerto, 2nd Movement. The cello soloist is Irena Josifoska, who was 20 years old then. We heard the First Movement of the Cello Concerto earlier this year, in the newsletter of July 3. About the music, Maestro Fred Devyatkin writes, “Dvorak hesitated composing his Cello Concerto for many years. Then, upon hearing Victor...

Dear Music Lovers and Supporters, Happy July 4th weekend! Our third offering is a recording of the First Movement, or Allegro, of the Dvorak Cello Concerto from a concert by the BSO in February 2017 at the Sea Island Presbyterian Church. The cello soloist is Irena Josifoska, who was 20 years old then. The recording is on YouTube BSO playing Dvorak Cello Concerto: 1st Movement. See Maestro Fred Devyatkin’s Commentary on YouTube. To learn about cellist Irena Josifoska, who was born in 1996 and began playing the cello at the age of 5, see her biography. Thank...