Leo Ornstein: Complete Works for Cello and Piano

Strings, November, 2007 by Eisler, Edith

Leo Ornstein: Complete Works for Cello and Piano. Joshua Gordon, cello; Randall Hodgkinson, piano. (New World Records 80655-2)

The life and career of Leo Ornstein (1892-2002) must be among the strangest in 20th-century music. A sensational pianist and "futuristic" composer-"the sum of Schoenberg and Scriabin squared"-he was by age 20 America's most acclaimed musician, playing his own and other contemporary works to packed houses, hailed by critics and audiences. Yet, after about five years of fame and success, he withdrew from the stage and took up teaching, later founding his own school. In 1953, he retired to Texas, and by 1970, having composed almost nothing for years, was totally forgotten. Around 1975, however, his family and admirers sparked a revival with concerts and...

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