Media Reviews

With Cellist Daniel Morganstern the Leonard Rose Legacy Resounds

Daniel Morganstern was featured in the June 2002 issue of The Instrumentalist , a national publication which concentrates on the teaching and performing of instrumental music. The interview covers a wide range of topics including: Morganstern's professional life, as principal cellist with the Chicago Lyric Opera and the American Ballet Theater, and as a member of the American Chamber Trio; his views on practicing; his view of the importance of starting with an idea of what the end result can be; on teaching, both in private lessons and as a chamber music coach; and many other topics.

- article by Elaine Fine

Practice for Performance
(Daniel Morganstern)

"Daniel Morganstern has written a very different and delightful cello book where he uses personal experiences to discuss technical preparation as it relates to the goal of performing inspired music ... this book is for serious musicians. Age or experience level does not matter ... you will find wonderful tidbits to chew on and savor many times."

- American String Teacher, Nov. 2003

"This book is a delight. Any author who pays homage to a former teacher and also encourages others to excel as musicians is at the top of my list. This book is a joy to read, and I recommend it to cellists, students, teachers, and performers."

- Shirley Strohm Mullins, in The Instrumentalist, July 2002

" Practice for Performance by Daniel Morganstern contains ideas not to be forced in any other treatise on the subject of musical preparation. Set in the context of a personal history of growth as a performer, the discoveries sensibly unfold in a fascinating account of experiences with many notable artists whose comments and examples shaped Mr. Morganstern's thinking to provide this unique concept of performance development."

- William Preucil, Sr,. Professor of Music, Emeritus, University of Iowa
- Doris Preucil, Founding Director of the Preucil School of Music
Past presidents of the Suzuki Association of the Americas, Inc.

" Practice for Performance provides a rare and intimate view into a very thoughtful and successful performer's personal toolkit. Morganstern displays rare honesty in discussing the problems that faced him at various points of his career, and the ways to solve them. I found this book inspiring and would recommend it to students of any instrument."

- Scott Ballantyne, Teaching Assistant to Leonard Rose
Julliard School of Music

" Practice for Performance by Daniel Morganstern is different from other 'cello books.' It is a unique distillation of knowledge set in a semi-autobiographical style that encompasses many valuable technical and musical concepts which are clearly and often fascinatingly presented. Some of its most useful ideas are not to be found elsewhere and its principles are applicable to many instruments, including voice...."

- Robert Gardner, Principal Cello, New York City Opera Lincoln Center
Former faculty member, Aspen Music School

"What a joy and honor it is to read your inspired tract, Practice for Performance . I am sure that my sigh of relief that this much needed work has come into existence will reverberate throughout the serious music studios of the world. Your journey of self-discovery, anecdotes, encounters with mentors, exercises and excerpts, concepts, and philosophy provide an irresistibly engaging context for this often tedious activity. The unfolding of your narrative demonstrates with crystalline clarity how many layers there are to serious study and the subsequent extensions into professional and artistic realization. Bravo sans cesse!"

- Andre Emelianoff, cello faculty, Julliard School of Music

Larsen and Morganstern
(Daniel Morganstern, violoncello and Eric Larsen, piano)

"Larsen and Morganstern features Daniel Morganstern on cello and Eric Larsen on piano... This recording shows that Morganstern practices what he teaches. Morganstern and Larsen treat the Beethoven Sonatas Op.69 and Op.120 as equal dialogues for cello and piano, and these dialogues are beautiful, intricate, and reverant. The sound of the Sonatas is both intimate and indulgent."

"The Brahms Sonata in F Major, Op.99, the Chopin Sonata in G Minor, and Introduction and Polonaise Brilliante sound as if they were recorded from a farther distance with different acoustics. I particularly love the way Moganstern and Larsen play the Chopin Sonata, one of the few pieces written by Chopin for an instrument other than the solo piano. These musicians stress the formal and lyrical qualities, and they keep the style light and flowing throughout the performance."

"In contrast, the Introduction and Polonaise Brilliante is an intensely expressive piece with an indulgent introduction followed by an absolutely thrilling and virtuosic Polonaise."

- The Instrumentalist, January 2006

Brahms: The Complete Trios for Piano, Violin & Cello; Beethoven: 'Archduke' Trio
(Daniel Morganstern, violoncello, June DeForest, violin and Eric Larsen, piano)

"Though the American Chamber Trio has been Around for more than 20 years, they only recently started making recordings. These Brahms and Beethoven readings seem to reflect many years of preparation. They are extremely expressive, mature interpretations that concentrate on the substance of the music. Though the individual playing is spectacular, it is the ensemble playing and the sensitivity to the way every note and every phrase relate to each other that make this recording so satisfying."

"There are so many qualities to admire here. The combination of sounds in this trio is unusual. Daniel Morganstern's cello sound is deep, rich, and very focused. June DeForest's violin sound has a more transparent quality that sounds particularly wonderful when she and Morganstern play unison and octave passages. The pianist, Eric Larsen, is like a chameleon, changing his color and touch to match every voicing situation, creating constant interest and variety."

"Much of the music seems driven by the cello line (as in those old Casals recordings), which brings the attention of the listener into the center of the music rather that towards the highest voice of towards the most active instrument."

"It is also wonderful to have such a fine set of Brahms Trios for violin, cello, and piano all together, but it is even more wonderful to have them bundled with the Beethoven Archduke , because the reading is so engaging. I particularly love Morganstern's vocal approach to the cello Melodies."

- The American Record Guide

Cello Solos from Opera and Ballet, by Daniel Morganstern

“This… compendium was assembled and edited by Daniel Morganstern, who is in a unique position to expound on these materials, having been principal cellist of both the American Ballet Theatre and the Chicago Lyric Opera orchestras during his 30-year career.

The volume includes a preface with a number of useful practice tips and Morganstern helpfully adds a line for vocal or instrumental cues in several of the excerpts. Excerpts are liberally marked with fingering and bowing, reflecting the editor’s long experience. In playing several [of the excerpts] through, the fingering and bowing choices seem eminently sensible and practical to this reviewer.

As a convenient, single-volume survey of representative solos, with good editing, this publication offers value.”

- Robert Battey

Strings Magazine, February 2007

Fundamentals of Cello Technique and Musical Interpretation

"Morganstern, principal cellist of the Lyric Opera in Chicago and the American Ballet Theater at the Metropolitan Opera House, pays homage to Leonard Rose in this unique method book for cello. This book offers many helpful and practical ideas complete with sometimes lengthy but enjoyable explanations on how to approach certain technical or musical challenges. Included in the book is an appendix by Scott Ballantyne entitled, "Comprehensive Notes on the Pedagogical Methods of Leonard Rose." Through this book and others written by Morganstern, along with the wonderful performing and teaching of Morganstern and many other famous cellists, the legacy of Leonard Rose will continue to influence the present and future generations of cellists."

- American String Teacher, August 2006