Mieczysław Weinberg; Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Hidden Legacies (Kristina Reiko Cooper)

Information

Composer: Mieczysław Weinberg; Erich Wolfgang Korngold

• Weinberg - Cello Concerto in C Minor, Op. 43
• Weinberg - Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 52
• Korngold - Cello Concerto in C Major, Op. 37

Kristina Reiko Cooper, cello

Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra

Constantine Orbelian, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Delos

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Cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper highlights the profound artistry of Mieczysław Weinberg and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, composers whose works reflect the trials and resilience of the twentieth century. In 2025, she gave the New York premiere of Weinberg’s Fantasia for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 52, and Korngold’s Cello Concerto in C major, collaborating with conductor Constantine Orbelian and the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra. Their upcoming recording also includes Weinberg’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, presenting three extraordinary twentieth-century works for cello and orchestra that combine emotional depth, technical brilliance, and enduring artistic significance, honoring both composers’ legacies of hope and musical innovation.

Kristina Reiko Cooper, born and raised in New York City, is a celebrated cellist with bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Juilliard, where she studied with Joel Krosnick. Coming from a distinguished musical lineage—her father, Rex Cooper, is a pianist; her mother, Mutsuko Tatman, a violinist; her grandfather, Tomojiro Ikenouchi, a composer; and her great-grandfather, Takahama Kyoshi, a haiku poet—she has developed a career of international distinction. Notably, she commissioned Lera Auerbach’s Symphony No. 6 “Vessels of Light”, commemorating Chiune Sugihara’s heroic deeds, performing its premieres in Lithuania, New York, Prague, Berlin, and other major venues. Cooper has performed globally with leading orchestras and conductors, premiered works by Weinberg and Korngold, and maintains an extensive recording career. A dedicated chamber musician, festival performer, and educator, she serves at the Buchmann-Mehta School in Tel Aviv, directs The Israel Chamber Music Society, and holds leadership roles in cultural foundations. She performs on the 1743 Ex-Havermeyer G.B. Guadagnini cello and resides in Tel Aviv with her family.