Ralph Kirshbaum

Composers

Biography

Born: March 4, 1946; Denton, TX  
Ralph Kirschbaum's family was musical: His father was a professional violinist and conductor, his mother a harpist, and his brothers and sisters were a violinist, a violist, and a pianist. Kirschbaum decided on cello and had his first lessons on the instrument from his father. At age 11, he began three years of study with Roberta Gustafeste then went to study with Lev Aronson, a teacher of renown who was the principal cellist of the Dallas Read more Symphony and also was the teacher of Lynn Harrell. When Kirschbaum turned 18, Aronson recommended that he study with the great Gregor Piatigorsky (his own teacher). However, Kirschbaum had seen in his family how difficult it could be to make a living as a professional musician, so he opted to continue academic studies instead, no doubt also prompted by the fact that he had earned a scholarship to Yale University. This was far from a rejection of his cello studies; at Yale, Kirschbaum was able to study with Aldo Parisot, a brilliant cellist who followed the line of Emanuel Feuermann. Kirschbaum never regretted his choice, noting that Aronson instilled great musicality in his students and was especially fine in teaching bowing technique. Parisot had a virtuoso left-hand technique and so concentrated on Kirschbaum's fingering. He has pointed to the benefits of an education balanced between two renowned but different teachers. When Kirschbaum returned to Dallas, even Aronson, who had been disappointed that his student turned down an opportunity to study with Piatigorsky, said that he was satisfied with Kirschbaum's development.

Kirschbaum won a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Europe in 1968. This was in accordance with his goal, which was to start his professional career in Europe (a decision made by many American musicians). However, it was 1968, the Vietnam War was on, and Kirschbaum had received his draft physical examination. Since he might be unable to use it, he suggested the Fulbright trustees award it to someone else. However, a physician found that Kirschbaum had flat feet and would not pass the physical. (To be sure, this doctor, an Englishman who loved music, was the tenth doctor Kirschbaum consulted; the others had all passed him.)

Kirschbaum studied in Paris for a year on a French government grant and in 1970, he won the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. As a result, the French extended his grant for another year. Kirschbaum values this two-year period as a great benefit that allowed him to consolidate his technique and musical knowledge. However, he also began concertizing during this period and his London debut was in 1970 at Wigmore Hall. He returned to London to make his first orchestral appearance, playing Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with London's New Philharmonia Orchestra. Fellow cellist Jacqueline Du Pré generously loaned him her famous "Davidov" Stradivari instrument for that debut. (Subsequently, Kirschbaum acquired one of the great cellos, the "Piatti" cello, built by Montagnana in 1729.)

A major chamber ensemble was formed when Kirschbaum met pianist Peter Frankl and violinist Gyorgy Pauk. These two players, although they have not achieved household "star name" status, enjoy the highest repute among musicians and other cognoscenti and for years had been recital partners who had been looking for a cellist with whom to form a trio. Despite Kirschbaum's being ten years younger than they were, there was an instant rapport, which they realized as soon as they played together. Their first performance was a concert at the Edinburgh Festival that was broadcast live on the BBC to great acclaim. The British network quickly engaged them to play a series of what would add up to 30 trio performances. Despite all three members enjoying busy concert careers on their own, the Frankl-Pauk-Kirschbaum Trio usually gives 15 concerts each year. In 1976, Kirschbaum returned to his native land to make a debut in New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has based his career in England, but returns to the United States for major tours every year. He has a teaching position at the Royal Northern College of Music and has made numerous recordings, including the Elgar and Walton concertos and (with Pauk and violist Nobuko Imai) the Triple Concerto by Michael Tippett. Read less

Featured Ralph Kirshbaum CDs & DVDs:

Schubert: String Quintet D. 956; Quartettsatz D. 703 / Kirshbaum, Takacs Quartet
Schubert: String Quintet D. 956; Quartettsatz D. 703 / Kirshbaum, Takacs Quartet
Release Date: 11/13/2012   Label: Hyperion  
Catalog: 67864   Number of Discs: 1
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Browse 1-25 of 30 Available Recordings
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  • 1.
    Philips Original Jackets Collection [55-CD Set]
    Philips Original Jackets Collection [55-CD Set]
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 001767702 Release Date: 12/04/2012   Number of Discs: 55
    Composer:  Max Bruch,  Ludwig van Beethoven,  Johannes Brahms,  Gioachino Rossini  ... 
    Performer:  Salvatore Accardo,  Elisabeth Unger,  Claudio Arrau,  Thomas Zehetmair  ... 
    Conductor:  Kurt Masur,  Bernard Haitink,  Frans Brüggen,  Simon Rattle  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Beaux Arts Trio  ... 
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  • 2.
    Schubert: String Quintet D. 956; Quartettsatz D. 703 / Kirshbaum, Takacs Quartet
    Schubert: String Quintet D. 956; Quartettsatz D. 703 / Kirshbaum, Takacs Quartet
    Label: Hyperion   Catalog: 67864 Release Date: 11/13/2012   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Franz Schubert
    Performer:  Ralph Kirshbaum
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Takács String Quartet
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  • 3.
    Saint-Saens: Complete Violin Concertos / Hoelscher
    Saint-Saens: Complete Violin Concertos / Hoelscher
    Label: Brilliant Classics   Catalog: 94308 Release Date: 02/28/2012   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Camille Saint-Saëns
    Performer:  Ulf Hoelscher,  Ralph Kirshbaum
    Conductor:  Pierre Dervaux
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  New York Philharmonic,  New Philharmonia Orchestra
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  • 4.
    Saint-saens: Concertos, Carnival Of The Animals / Ciccolini, Hoelscher, Tortelier
    Saint-saens: Concertos, Carnival Of The Animals / Ciccolini, Hoelscher, Tortelier
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 0834312 Release Date: 11/15/2011   Number of Discs: 5
    Composer:  Camille Saint-Saëns
    Performer:  Aldo Ciccolini,  Ulf Hoelscher,  Ralph Kirshbaum,  Paul Tortelier
    Conductor:  Serge Baudo,  Pierre Dervaux
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestre de Paris,  New York Philharmonic,  New Philharmonia Orchestra  ... 
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  • 5.
    Tristan Keuris: Complete Works
    Tristan Keuris: Complete Works
    Label: Quattro Records   Catalog: 2009 Release Date: 09/14/2010   Number of Discs: 11
    Composer:  Tristan Keuris
    Performer:  Agnes Benoist,  Herman Braune,  René Eckhardt,  Arno Bornkamp  ... 
    Conductor:  Paul Hupperts,  Henrik Schaefer,  Otto Tausk,  Hans Leenders  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Raschčr Saxophone Quartet,  Ensemble M,  Gaudeamus Quartet  ... 
    CD: $107.49
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  • 6.
    50 Best Adagios
    50 Best Adagios
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 57489 Release Date: 06/29/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  Tomaso Albinoni,  Johann Pachelbel,  Gregorio Allegri,  Antonio Vivaldi  ... 
    Performer:  Giovanni Scaramuzzino,  Jane Murdoch,  Jonathan Rees,  Ralph Kirshbaum  ... 
    Conductor:  Ian Watson,  Andrew Parrott,  Christopher Warren-Green,  Fabio Biondi  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Taverner Players,  Taverner Consort,  Melante Amsterdam  ... 
    CD: $11.99
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  • 7.
    50 Best Baroque
    50 Best Baroque
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 57503 Release Date: 06/29/2010   Number of Discs: 3
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Jeremiah Clarke,  John Dowland,  Henry Purcell  ... 
    Performer:  Crispian Steele-Perkins,  Gérard Lesne,  Susan Graham,  Christopher Robson  ... 
    Conductor:  Stephen Cleobury,  Richard Hickox,  Andrew Parrott,  Emmanuelle Haďm  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Fretwork,  Taverner Players,  Orlando Gibbons Viol Ensemble  ... 
    CD: $11.99
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  • 8.
    Best Cello 100
    Best Cello 100
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 64275 Release Date: 08/11/2009   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Georg Matthias Monn,  Franz Joseph Haydn  ... 
    Performer:  Pablo Casals,  Paul Tortelier,  Mstislav Rostropovich,  Lynn Harrell  ... 
    Conductor:  Pinchas Zukerman,  Christopher Warren-Green,  Sir John Barbirolli,  Iona Brown  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Linde Consort,  Nash Ensemble,  Twelve Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic
    CD: $19.99
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  • 9.
    100 Best 20th Century Classics
    100 Best 20th Century Classics
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 64249 Release Date: 07/28/2009   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  György Ligeti,  John Adams,  George Gershwin,  Aaron Copland  ... 
    Performer:  Wayne Marshall,  Ralph Kirshbaum,  Tasmin Little,  Simon Haram  ... 
    Conductor:  None,  Simon Rattle,  Leonard Slatkin,  Christopher Warren-Green  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Artemis String Quartet,  City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,  St. Louis Symphony Orchestra  ... 
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  • 10.
    At The Haunted End Of The Day - William Walton
    At The Haunted End Of The Day - William Walton
    Label: Tony Palmer Films   Catalog: 1357 Release Date: 06/02/2009   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir William Walton
    Performer:  Iona Brown,  Yehudi Menuhin,  Ralph Kirshbaum,  Yvonne Kenny  ... 
    Conductor:  Simon Rattle
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  • 11.
    Best Concertos 100
    Best Concertos 100
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 64739 Release Date: 03/24/2009   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms,  George Gershwin,  Ralph Vaughan Williams,  Francis Poulenc  ... 
    Performer:  Stephen Hough,  Wayne Marshall,  Ralph Markham,  Kenneth Broadway  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Andrew Davis,  Wayne Marshall,  Yehudi Menuhin,  Richard Hickox  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Symphony Orchestra,  Aalborg Symphony Orchestra,  Royal Philharmonic Orchestra  ... 
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  • 12.
    Tippett: Concerto For Orchestra, Triple Concerto / Sir Colin Davis
    Tippett: Concerto For Orchestra, Triple Concerto / Sir Colin Davis
    Label: Philips   Catalog: 420781 Release Date: 09/22/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Michael Tippett
    Performer:  Nobuko Imai,  Ralph Kirshbaum,  György Pauk
    Conductor:  Sir Colin Davis
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  London Symphony Orchestra
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  • 13.
    The Best Of Baroque
    The Best Of Baroque
    Label: Virgin Classics   Catalog: 22104 Release Date: 09/02/2008   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  George Frideric Handel,  Tomaso Albinoni,  Giovanni Battista Pergolesi,  Gregorio Allegri  ... 
    Performer:  Gérard Lesne,  Véronique Gens,  Lorenzo Cavasanti,  Mark Bennett  ... 
    Conductor:  Stephen Cleobury,  Jonathan Rees,  Andrew Parrott,  Fabio Biondi  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Academy of Ancient Music,  Cambridge King's College Choir,  Scottish Ensemble  ... 
    CD: $8.99
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  • 14.
    Bach: Ses Plus Beaux Chefs-d'oeuvre
    Bach: Ses Plus Beaux Chefs-d'oeuvre
    Label: Virgin Classics   Catalog: 379347 Release Date: 01/13/2008   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Werner Jacob,  Jonathan Rees,  Jane Murdoch,  Nancy Argenta  ... 
    Conductor:  Andrew Parrott,  Sir Philip Ledger,  Jonathan Rees,  Monica Huggett  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Taverner Consort,  Taverner Players,  Scottish Ensemble  ... 
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  • 15.
    Bach For My Baby
    Bach For My Baby
    Label: Virgin Classics   Catalog: 89585 Release Date: 06/05/2007   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Bob van Asperen,  Marion Verbruggen,  John Holloway,  Paul Goodwin  ... 
    Conductor:  Bob van Asperen,  Wolfgang Gönnenwein,  Andrew Parrott,  Sir Philip Ledger  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Melante Amsterdam,  South German Madrigal Choir Stuttgart,  Taverner Players  ... 
    CD: $13.99
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  • 16.
    Best Bach 100
    Best Bach 100
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 83765 Release Date: 02/06/2007   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach,  J. F. Ludwig Thiele
    Performer:  Lionel Rogg,  Monica Huggett,  Gustav Leonhardt,  Alison Bury  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Philip Ledger,  Wolfgang Gönnenwein,  Philippe Herreweghe,  Andrew Parrott  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment,  English Chamber Orchestra,  South German Madrigal Choir Stuttgart  ... 
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  • 17.
    An Introduction To Edward Elgar
    An Introduction To Edward Elgar
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 2021 Release Date: 09/19/2006   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Sir Edward Elgar
    Performer:  Ralph Kirshbaum
    Conductor:  Sir Alexander Gibson,  Norman Del Mar
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Royal Scottish National Orchestra,  Bournemouth Sinfonietta
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  • 18.
    Best Baroque 100
    Best Baroque 100
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 70907 Release Date: 08/29/2006   Number of Discs: 6
    Composer:  Claudio Monteverdi,  Antonio Vivaldi,  Johann Sebastian Bach,  Joao Domingos Bomtempo  ... 
    Performer:  Della Jones,  Arleen Augér,  Michel Sanvoisin,  Lionel Rogg  ... 
    Conductor:  Richard Hickox,  Louis Auriacombe,  Michel Corboz,  Lajos Rovátkay  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  City of London Baroque Sinfonia,  Toulouse Chamber Orchestra,  Gulbenkian Foundation Symphony Orchestra Lisbon  ... 
    CD: $18.99
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  • 19.
    Very Best Of Bach
    Very Best Of Bach
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 338158 Release Date: 01/13/2006   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Werner Jacob,  Jane Murdoch,  Jonathan Rees,  Marc Hantaď  ... 
    Conductor:  Andrew Parrott,  Sir Philip Ledger,  Jonathan Rees,  Monica Huggett  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Taverner Players,  Taverner Consort,  Scottish Ensemble  ... 
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  • 20.
    Bear Essentials - Great British Orchestral Classics
    Bear Essentials - Great British Orchestral Classics
    Label: Chandos   Catalog: 2428 Release Date: 09/20/2005   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Sir Arthur Bliss,  Sir William Walton,  Malcolm Arnold,  Sir Edward Elgar  ... 
    Performer:  Ralph Kirshbaum,  Michael Davis
    Conductor:  Rumon Gamba,  Jan Latham-Koenig,  Sir David Willcocks,  Sir Neville Marriner  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  BBC Philharmonic Orchestra,  London Philharmonic Orchestra,  Philharmonia Orchestra  ... 
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  • 21.
    Brahms: Piano Trios, Piano Quintet / Frankl, Previn, Et Al
    Brahms: Piano Trios, Piano Quintet / Frankl, Previn, Et Al
    Label: Emi Classics Double Fforte   Catalog: 73341 Release Date: 03/11/2004   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Aldo Parisot,  Walter Trampler,  Syoko Aki,  Broadus Erle  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Yale String Quartet
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  • 22.
    Tippett: Orchestral Works
    Tippett: Orchestral Works
    Label: Decca   Catalog: 470196 Release Date: 05/20/2002   Number of Discs: 2
    Composer:  Michael Tippett
    Performer:  Faye Robinson,  Paul Cann,  Philip Cave,  Caryl Kelly  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Georg Solti,  Nicholas Cleobury,  Howard Snell,  Sir Neville Marriner  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Chicago Symphony Orchestra,  Oxford Schola Cantorum Choir,  Philip Jones Brass Ensemble  ... 
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  • 23.
    The Perfect J. S. Bach
    Label: Emi Classics   Catalog: 67728 Release Date: 01/08/2002   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johann Sebastian Bach
    Performer:  Douglas Major,  Andrei Gavrilov,  Christopher Parkening,  Neil Black  ... 
    Conductor:  Wolfgang Sawallisch,  Wolfgang Gönnenwein,  Sir Neville Marriner,  Robert Irving  ... 
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Philadelphia Orchestra,  Empire Brass,  Consortium Musicum  ... 
    CD: $12.99
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  • 24.
    Barber: Cello Concerto, Cello Sonata, Adagio / Kirshbaum
    Barber: Cello Concerto, Cello Sonata, Adagio / Kirshbaum
    Label: Virgin Classics Special Import   Catalog: 59565 Release Date: 05/01/2001   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Samuel Barber
    Performer:  Roger Vignoles,  Ralph Kirshbaum
    Conductor:  Jukka-Pekka Saraste
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Scottish Chamber Orchestra
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  • 25.
    Brahms For Relaxation
    Brahms For Relaxation
    Label: Rca   Catalog: 63710 Release Date: 10/10/2000   Number of Discs: 1
    Composer:  Johannes Brahms
    Performer:  Martin Katz,  Marilyn Horne,  Richard Stoltzman,  Richard Goode  ... 
    Conductor:  Sir Colin Davis,  Christoph Eschenbach,  Zubin Mehta
    Orchestra/Ensemble:  Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra,  Guarneri String Quartet,  Boston Symphony Chamber Players  ... 
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