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Contemporary Classical - Thea Derks @[email protected] · 2026-04-30 · 14:47 UTC

Conductor Ed Spanjaard saves Henriëtte Bosmans’ cello concertos from oblivion

For almost three decades I tried in vain to convince the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra to perform the two cello concertos that Henriëtte Bosmans (1895–1952) composed in quick succession, in 1922 and 1923.

The artistic advisor made every effort to get at least one of them performed, but invariably met with a flat refusal from either the intended conductor or cellist. Recently Ed Spanjaard recorded both of them for cd, with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and cellist Raphael Wallfisch.

The Concertgebouw Orchestra’s reluctance was all the more baffling since Bosmans had maintained close ties with it in her own time. Her music was placed regularly on their music stands, often with herself at the piano in her Concertino for piano and orchestra. In 1923, the orchestra programmed her Cello Concerto No. 1 twice, featuring the Flemish cellist Marix Loevensohn and the conductor Karl Muck.

As early as 1919, Bosmans had written a Poème for cello and orchestra, which was performed by the orchestra no fewer than three times before the Second World War, each time with Loevensohn. Bosmans’ love for the cello did not come out of the blue: her father – who died when she was only one year old – was principal cellist of the Concertgebouw Orchestra; Marix Loevensohn was a close friend, and she had a romantic relationship with the cellist Frieda Belinfante from 1922 to 1929.

In 1995, the Radio Chamber Orchestra recorded the Poème on CD under Ed Spanjaard, featuring cellist Dimitri Ferschtman. Spanjaard has now persuaded the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and cellist Raphael Wallfisch to dust off the two cello concertos as well. The album powerfully demonstrates just how unjustly this music has remained unheard for a century.

The album opens with the Poème. A turbulent descending motif is launched loudly by strings and wind instruments – which allow their tones to swell and subside again (perhaps a little too abruptly). After a dramatic timpani roll, the theme is taken up pianissimo by the solo cellist, upon which it at once sounds fragile and wistful.

After a poetic cello line brimming with yearning lyricism, a dialogue unfolds with the orchestra, in a rapid alternation between melodious and rhythmic passages within an extremely varied dynamic range. The Poème concludes in a dreamy ‘morendo’, with the sounds of the cello and strings dissolving into the mysterious void.

Bosmans also powerfully opens her Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1, with a pulsating rhythm in which the high woodwinds and low strings seem to pass a ball back and forth. Their play is cut short by expectantly tremulating strings, that introduce a lyrical theme from the solo cello, accompanied by atmospheric harp arpeggios.

Ed Spanjaard

The second movement has a dance-like character, with whirling runs from the cello and feisty accents from percussion instruments that were uncommon at the time, such as castanets, tambourines and woodblocks.

In the third and final movement, following an intimate introduction, the solo cello plays a cheerful, bouncy theme reminiscent of American folk music. The oompah-like orchestral accompaniment conjures up images of cowboys galloping across the prairies. Spanjaard whips the musicians into a compelling and intense performance, against which Raphael Wallfisch’s technically sound but rather bland playing pales somewhat.

The Second Cello Concerto begins with a slow motif from the solo cello, rising from the depths, coloured by sultry swirls in the orchestra. The orchestra remains modestly in the background, allowing the soloist ample space to unfold his wistful argument.

After this poetic first movement, the second has a distinctly cheerful character. Against lively themes of the flutes in a brisk rhythm, the cellist weaves graceful melodic lines inspired by them. The infectious scherzo is followed by the final movement, in which the cello and first violin engage in a tender duet against subdued harp arpeggios.

This culminates in an exuberant finale, full of tambourine clatter in a rousing rhythm; for a moment, the cowboys reappear. Bosmans concludes this movement decisively, with a few repeated chords played fortissimo and a robust trumpet fanfare.

The album illustrates once again Bosmans’ incredible flair for writing melodious tunes and colourful orchestral parts, in which the harp and percussion play a major role. Her great skill is all the more evident in the natural ease with which she weaves rapidly shifting moods into a coherent whole; the narrative never feels disjointed.

Praise be to Ed Spanjaard for making these two cello concertos accessible to a wide audience. – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra: all you have to do is head the ball!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIpPoZKFjto

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