Daniil Shafran: The unsung hero
The Russian cellist Daniil Shafran, one of the greatest musicians of the Soviet era, was born in to Russian-Jewish parents in Petrograd (soon after renamed Leningrad, today’s St Petersburg). At the age of eight, he started cello lessons with his father, Boris, who became principal cellist of the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) under Yevgeny Mravinsky. Two years later, Shafran was accepted into the class of professor Alexander Shtrimer (–) at the Leningrad Conservatoire.
Shafran made his debut in with the LPO under Albert Coates and two years later received the first prize at the USSR All-Union Competition for violinists and cellists held in Moscow. This victory led to Shafran’s first recording engagement the same year: Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations with the LPO conducted by Alexander Gauk. During the Second World War, as the front was approaching Leningrad, several of its cultural institutions were evacuated to safer regions of the USSR: the conservatoire to Tashkent (Uzbekistan), and the Philharmonic Orchestra – along with Shafran’s parents – to Novosibirsk. Shafran first stayed behind and became a volunteer in the People’s Militia. As
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Daniil Shafran () was one of the great Russian cellists. He began playing cello at the age of 6. Subsequently he continued his studies with professor Alexander Shtrimer () in a special music school for children at the age of 8. He won first prize at the USSR All Union Competition at the age of At the time, he was below the age limit but the competition committee approved his entry. He was given the Antonio Amati cello made in as a prize. He used this instrument ever since for all his career as a concert cellist. The second cello concerto of Kabalevsky was dedicated to him. He recorded the cello sonata of Shostakovkich with the composer himself.
TJ: What was Daniil like as a person?
VS: He always was even-tempered, quiet, and practically never entered into a conflict. If he felt that a person was unpleasant, he simply ceased to talk with that person.
He tried not to let his professional life affect his family life. The exceptions to this were when there were concerts in the evening. He would get very nervous before performances and he became very withdrawn the day of the conce
For Isserlis, Pablo Casals’s sound conveys what he has to say © Tom Miller
I USED TO LISTEN TO recordings of the Schumann Cello Concerto but I could never understand it or remember any of it. And then I heard Pablo Casals’s recording and suddenly I could remember it and it made sense. I play it differently myself, of course, but that’s how it should be. His performance is extraordinary. Casals thought like a composer, somehow: he understood the structure of the music and of each phrase. The commitment with which he played every note is astonishing. He obviously studied the scores deeply. He was a conductor, a pianist, a composer: an all-round musician. It wasn’t just about cello, it was about music. He had the ability to see into the heart of the works he played. He thought about everything, took nothing for granted and didn’t ever imitate. His conducting could be wonderful, too – his Mendelssohn ‘Italian’ Symphony with the Marlboro Festival Orchestra, for example.
Anyone who says Casals didn’t have a good technique doesn’t know what they’r
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Franz SCHUBERT ()
Arpeggione Sonata in A minor, D []
Johannes BRAHMS ()
Cello Sonata No. 2 in F major, Op. 99 []
Claude DEBUSSY ()
Cello Sonata in D minor, L []
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH ()
Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40 []
Enrique GRANADOS ()
Andaluza (Danza española, Op. 37 No. 5) (arr. Casals) []
Daniil Shafran (cello)
Walter Bohle (piano)
rec. 6 November , Karlsruhe, Sendesaal, South German Radio
MELOCLASSIC MC []Daniil Shafran () has become something of a cult figure amongst cellists and collectors. His highly individual style has polarized opinion but admirers, like myself, hold him in high regard and continue to enjoy his
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