Cello

Leonard Elschenbroich

BBC New Generation Artist

Having worked with a number of eminent conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Valery Gergiev, Manfred Honeck and Dmitri Kitajenko, Leonard rejoined Christoph Eschenbach at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Brahms Double concerto) and for his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra earlier in the 2011/12 season. Recent highlights include debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden at the Vienna Musikverein (Schumann) and Birmingham Symphony Hall (Tchaikovsky); Tokyo with the Japan Philharmonic with M. Lazarev (Dvorak) as well as Jacek Kaspszyk and the Wroclaw Philharmonic (Elgar). His recording of Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations with the Gürzenich Orchestra and M. Kitajenko was released in autumn 2012 with a debut recital disc for Onyx Records due for release in spring, 2013.

Tagespiegel names Leonard Elschenbroich’s debut Onyx recital CD as the best CD of the summer!

18 Jun 2013

Tagespiegel features Leonard Elschenbroich’s debut Onyx recital CD as the best CD of the summer! This comment joins many other positive reviews which can be found on Spiegel on line, Crescendo,...

The ‘Musical Motives’ of Leonard Elschenbroich are revealed in this month's Classical Music Magazine

29 May 2013

The ‘Musical Motives’ of Leonard Elschenbroich are revealed in the Classical Music / Strings 2013 May issue. Recordings, relationship and musical roots are all aired as is an early ambition to be...

A Top 10 chart debut for Leonard Elschenbroich's Rachmaninov & Shostakovich CD

20 May 2013

Leonard Elschenbroich's debut album release of Rachmaninov & Shostakovich cello sonatas, on Onyx Classics, has entered the UK Classical Specialist chart at number 8 on it's first week of...

Leonard Elschenbroich's new CD receives 5 stars from Jessica Duchen

15 May 2013

The Independent’s Jessica Duchen gave a glowing review of Leonard Elschenbroich's new Rachmaninov & Shostakovich Cello Sonatas release. Writing for sinfinimusic.com, she...

5 star Guardian review for Leonard Elschenbroich's new CD

10 May 2013

Leonard Elschenbroich's new CD featuring Rachmaninov & Shostakovich Cello Sonatas, recorded last year with pianist Alexei Grynyuk and released on Onyx Classics, received...

Leonard Elschenbroich plays the Shostakovich Cello concerto No 2 in his BBC NOW debut with conductor Jurjen Hempel

23 Apr 2013

Live at 2 pm on BBC Radio 3 today - the Afternoon concert comes from the Hoddinott Hall in Cardiff Bay. For full programme information, please...

Tune in to BBC Radio 3 In Tune for Leonard Elschenbroich, cello and Alexei Grynyuk, piano

18 Apr 2013

Leonard Elschenbroich and chamber partner Alexei Grynyuk play Brahms Ernste Gesange in the BBC Radio 3 lunchtime concert today. 

Later in the day - (...

Leonard Elschenbroich tours Scotland, exploring Tchaikovsky’s Trio along the way

13 Mar 2013

Currently on tour in Scotland with chamber partners Nicola Benedetti and pianist Alexei Grynyuk, Leonard Elschenbroich also features in a documentary by veteran film maker Tony Palmer. The film...

Debuts for Leonard Elschenbroich and Wilson Hermanto with the Ulster Orchestra live on BBC Radio 3

21 Feb 2013

Debuts for conductor Wilson Hermanto and Leonard Elschenbroich, cellist and BBC New Generation Artist,  with the Ulster Orchestra on Friday February 22 at 14.00.
This BBC Invitation...

Live interview for BR Klassik starts Leonard Elschenbroich’s return to his native Germany

06 Feb 2013

A live interview for BR Klassik in Munich started Leonard Elschenbroich’s return to his native Germany this week for recital performances. The afternoon arts programme, entitled Leporello, also...

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“I find it very satisfying. A very interesting interpretation of all this music from cellist Leonard Elschenbroch - a name we're going to hear much more of.”

David Mellor, Classic FM 'Connoisseur’s Choice' - May 2013

“Elschenbroich proves his range of expression more than equal to their demands at both ends of the emotional spectrum... a complete arsenal of apparently faultless technique to the creation of wonderfully rich, colourful and spiritually faithful interpretations.”

Jessica Duchen - May 2013

“...he brings both the correct breathing and a strong sense of melody and lyricism of the music... Excellent performances of two very different works.”

pizzicato - May 2013

“...a performance of tremendous assurance and power. There's no mistaking the intensity and commitment that Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk bring to it, and the closing pages, which look unflinchingly towards extinction, are unnerving in the extreme. Its companion piece, radically different, is Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata, in which Grynyuk's energy and Elschenbroich's sense of poetry are joyously to the fore. Exceptional.”

The Guardian (Shostakovich/Rachmaninov: Cello Sonata on Onyx – 5 stars) - May 2013

“This is an exceptional set of performances by German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and Kiev-born pianist Alexei Grynyuk, in which the sheer poise and eloquence of Rachmaninov’s expansive Cello Sonata is chillingly offset by the dry pallor of Shostakovich’s Viola Concerto, his last work seamlessly arranged for cello by Daniil Shafran. Where there is supreme beauty in the Rachmaninov – the darkened brilliance of the Allegro scherzando, and an Andante every bit as ravishing as that of the Second Piano Concerto – there is a curt austerity in the Shostakovich, all of which this duo articulate with complete conviction. Rachmaninov’s deliciously mellifluous Vocalise provides a warm and cosy ending to a seriously good disc.”

The Scotsman (5 star review of Shostakovich & Rachmaninov CD by Ken Walton) - Apr 2013

“Leonard gives a splendidly virtuosic interpretation [Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme]; entertaining, witty and full of character – surely in keeping with the composer’s own wishes. The program ends with a flourish with Andante cantabile for Cello and Orchestra drawn from the String Quartet No. 1 in 1871 by the composer himself in the late 1880s. This CD is positioned in the forefront of a rich discography stimulated by these immortal masterpieces.”

ResMusica (Oehms CD release of Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme and the slow movement of Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 1, Andante cantabile, Dmitri Kitajenko And Gürzenich Orchester Köln) - Dec 2012

“Leonard Elschenbroich presented our first Vivaldi of the day, the Cello Concerto in G minor, with beautiful tone and virtuosity. With delicate orchestral backing, Elschenbroich executed ascending and descending scales galore, fast and furious in the Allegro then controlled and lament-like in the Largo. Nicola Benedetti and Elschenbroich duetted in Vivaldi’s Concerto for violin and cello in F major…plenty of energy and verve, with the violin and cello interweaving and echoing, and extra texture added by the orchestra. The final Allegro clearly gave lots of scope for the soloists to show off, bringing the first half to a suitably upbeat conclusion.”

Bachtrack (European Union Chamber Orchestra tour) - Dec 2012

“His deep, burnished sound and sensitive response to the rhapsodic pull of the long Brahmsian lines proved to be so commanding. The ease with which each soloist completed the other's musical sentences brought a sense of shared purpose, particularly to the soaring lyricism of the slow movement. .”

Chicago Tribune (Brahms Double Concerto, Elschenbroich, Benedetti, Eschenbach, Chicago Symphony Orchestra) - Jul 2012

“The classicism of C Saint Saens’ 1st Cello Concerto came through very clearly. The work’s character was perfectly reflected by the correspondingly polished and controlled playing of the young soloist Leonard Elschenbroich.”

Kölner Stadtanzeiger (Saint Saens Cello Concerto, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln) - Apr 2012

“Leonard Elschenbroich, the highly praised and excitedly anticipated young cello star, finally took to the stage. He plunged into the solo of the 1st Cello concerto by Saint Saens like a skier taking off downhill, enjoying the risks, with a technically immaculate delivery and setting off sparks in the process!”

Kölnische Rundschau (Saint Saens Cello Concerto, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln) - Apr 2012

“Elschenbroich's sound had a burnished glow and radiated authority... Nicola Benedetti and cellist Leonard Elschenbroich are entirely at ease together on stage. Moreover, this work places the instruments in a relationship of absolute parity, with the cello getting the opening break with a solo which the young German turned into a noble statement of intent....The so-called love duet in the andante had the right sort of tenderness, and in the last movement the pair found an exhilarating synergy”

The Independent (Brahms Double Concertlo Elschenbroich, Benedetti, Eschenbach,London Philharmonic Orchestra) - Nov 2011

“The performance had an exciting start. In Debussy's Sonata we found a fascinating tone in which the subtle vibrato of the Cellist was sometimes reminiscent of the sound of a Baroque instrument, emphasising the classicist element of the work. The Schumann "Romances" accentuated the contrast between the rhapsodic piano and the delicately romanticising Cello. The varieties in which Elschenbroich's sound pulsated was reminiscent of [Anne-Sophie] Mutter, and yet contrasted it with slender, hypnotically focused quality. The enchanting highpoint was Rachmaninov's Sonata, where the cellist’s tone carefully unfolded like a flower in the introduction, and then with vigorous articulation and a passionate singing tone shaped the rhapsodic drama of the work. There was a standing ovation in the packed Church of St. Luke for this debut in Lucerne. ”

Neue Luzerner Zeitung review of recital debut at Lucerne Festival 2011 - Aug 2011

“The young cellist Leonard Elschenbroich is obviously a star in the making. His performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations was alive to all the subtleties of this witty score and his rich tone was ideal for the third variation’s lush melody.”

Birmingham Post, Norman Stinchcombe (Review of performance with Christoph Eschenbach and Staatskapelle Dresden at Symphony Hall, Birmingham) - May 2011

“…Elschenbroich’s work had both impressive technical assurance and a movingly contemplative beauty……the fourth variation was full of wit and playfulness and the cadenzas were strikingly handled, invested with real individuality. The closing scherzando variation had a delicious effervescence.”

Seen and Heard International (Review of performance with Christoph Eschenbach and Staatskapelle Dresden at St. David’s Hall, Cardiff) - May 2011

“Depth, expressivity, charisma, perfection. His playing is the ideal every artist searches for.”

Christoph Eschenbach

“Leonard has an extraordinary and unique gift: His musical sensitivity, combined with courageous virtuosity is truly impressive and his radiant expressive personality is deeply convincing.”

Anne-Sophie Mutter

“Leonard Elschenbroich combines radiant charm with striking virtuosity and astonishing depth … The composure of his musical gesture is sublime, the poetic imagination deeply touching.”

Die Welt

“Unbounded tireless Energy …Elschenbroich seized his big moment … Bravo!”

The Strad

“Elschenbroich has the gift of artistic “authenticity” convincing absolutely down to the last detail.”

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

“Great tone, total technical command and complete identification with the music…An exceptional talent.”

Semyon Bychkov

“The enlightened eloquence and radiant personality with which Elschenbroich transports music into the present gives us true joy for his glowing passion.”

Dolomiten

“The young virtuoso took the stage with exceptional vigour and conquered the hearts of his enthusiastic audience with phenomenal technical agility in the fast Finale.”

Weser Kurier

“Intelligent and soulful … a mesmerizing performance.”

The Herald

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Leonard Elschenbroich received the Leonard Bernstein award at the opening concert of the 2009 Schleswig- Holstein Festival, following his performance of the Brahms Double with Anne-Sophie Mutter under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach. Since then, he has excited interest as one the most charismatic cellists of his generation.

He has received invitations from a number of eminent conductors, including Dmitri Kitajenko, Valery Gergiev, Semyon Bychkov, Manfred Honeck and Christoph Eschenbach. Leonard was chosen as a BBC New Generation Artist in 2012, a prestigious award offering performances and recordings with all the BBC orchestras, recitals at Wigmore Hall and The Sage, Gateshead, and the BBC Proms, with all performances broadcast on the BBC.

As a soloist he has performed with the London Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthaus Orchestera Berlin, Swedish Radio Symphony, Basel Symphony Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Nagoya Philharmonic, Japan Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He made his debut at the Musikverien in Vienna with the Dresden Staatskapelle and Christoph Eschenbach on their 2011 European tour.

In the autumn of 2012 he toured China with concerts in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. He then returned to Japan, giving his debut with the Japan Philharmonic conducted by Alexander Lazarev, as well as recitals in Fukushima and Tokyo.

Leonard Elschenbroich has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Auditorium du Louvre, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, the Lucerne Festival, the Gstaad Festival, the Istanbul International Festival, the Rheingau, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Schleswig-Holstein Festival, where he performed the complete Beethoven sonatas with Christoph Eschenbach. On tour in South America, he has performed with the Buenos Aires Philharmonic at the Teatro Colon and gave recitals in Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Lima and Sao Paulo.

As a member of two piano trios, the Sitkovetsky Trio, and with Nicola Benedetti and Alexei Grynyuk, he played in the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Bath Festival, many times at the Wigmore Hall, and at the BBC Proms and the Hong Kong International Festival. As a chamber musician he has appeared several times at the Verbier Festival, and with Gidon Kremer at the Kronberg and the Lockenhaus Festival.

Leonard Elschenbroich’s many awards include: the Leonard Bernstein Award, Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, Eugene Istomin Prize, Pro Europa prize, Landgraf von Hessen price of the Kronberg Academy, Nordmetall Prize of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Firmenich Prize of the Verbier Festival. From 2004-2008 he was supported by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation, performing with her on a number of occasions, including a European tour.

Born in 1985 in Frankfurt, Leonard received a scholarship, aged ten, to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London. He later studied with Frans Helmerson at the Cologne Music Academy.

He plays a cello made by Matteo Goffriller "Leonard Rose" (Venice, 1693), on private loan.

Leonard Elschenbroich lives in London.

June 2013