In the shadows of history, the works of Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Korngold emerge as profound testaments to the resilience of the human spirit. Both composers, deeply affected by the tumultuous tides of the twentieth century, faced the harrowing realities of persecution. Their music, rich in emotion and complexity, serves not only as a reflection of their personal trials but as an enduring legacy of hope and beauty amid despair. Driven by a passion for meaningful projects, cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper gave the New York premiere of Mieczysław Weinberg’s Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 52, and Erich Korngold’s Cello Concerto in C major in 2025. She is rejoined by her concert partner conductor Constantine Orbelian and the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra to record these works, together with the Weinberg Concerto for Cello and Orchestra. Three extraordinary works for solo cello and orchestra by two leading composers of the twentieth century.

Kristina Reiko Cooper – cello
Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra
Constantine Orbelian – conductor