The Mercedes-Benz Classical Century Tour continues next week, when the 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra play a one-off show at the National Concert Hall in Taipei.
Although officially debuting as an ensemble at the Salzburg Mozarteum in 1972, the concept behind the 12 Cellists originally took shape 50 years prior to the Salzburg show.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MANAGEMENT OF NEW ARTS
In 1920, a young cellist named Julius Klengel penned a psalm for a dozen cellos and presented it to Arthur Nikisch, the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. While records show that the conductor was indeed very interested in performing Klengel's composition, Nikisch would unfortunately never get to hear it performed. Ironically, both the tune and the 12 cellists' inaugural performance took place at the conductor's funeral in 1922.
Since the cello ensemble was reformed in the early 1970s, it has performed a wide assortment of repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary pop music at numerous concerts and special performances around the world. Two of the most publicized being a benefit concert for the victims of the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan and a tribute concert for famed cellist Jacqueline du Pre, who died of multiple sclerosis in 1997.
As is the ensembles norm, the playlist chosen for the Taipei show by the dozen cellists includes a selection of both classical and contemporary works. In order to appeal to a wide ranging audience the program is comprised of highlights from well-known musicals such as Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Bernstein's Westside Story, as well as popular movie themes, a host of gospels and even a slice of jazz.
The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic will take to the stage at Taipei's National Concert Hall (
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