Leader, BERTRAM LEWIS
Conductor, RICHARD AUSTIN
Solo violoncello,
MAURICE EISENBERG
Relayed from
The Pavilion, Bournemouth
Maurice Eisenberg was born in Konigsberg in 1902, of Russian-Polish parents. The Eisenberg family went to America when Maurice was only a few years old. He began the study of the violin at an early age and at eleven changed over to the 'cello. His remarkable gifts for the latter won him a scholarship at the Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore. Two or three years later the famous con- ductor, Stokowski, was examining at the Peabody Conservatory and he was so struck with the gifts of Eisenberg that shortly afterwards he offered him an engagement as a 'cellist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. At the age of eighteen Eisenberg became solo and principal 'cellist in the New York Symphony Orchestra.
Three years later he met
Albert Coates , who gave him an introduction to Casals who heard Eisenberg's playing with great enthusiasm. Eisenberg was so stimulated at this experience that he decided to resign from the New York Symphony Orchestra and concentrate on solo work. He went to Leipzig to study under Julius Klengel. then to Berlin under Becker, and finally under Alexanien at the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris.
Since that time, Mr. Eisenberg has become one of the leading solo 'cellists in Europ-and the man who has helped and inspired him more than anyone else is Pau Casals, under whose baton he has played on many occasions.