Brian Thornton
Brian Thornton is widely recognized as a cellist in the Cleveland Orchestra. Thornton is especially notable for his championing of contemporary music as a soloist, orchestral, and chamber musician: he has played in the world premieres of more than 100 works in a part of the world where new music is not always commonplace.
Thornton grew up in the Dallas, Texas, suburb of Plano. A formative experience was studying the cello with Holocaust survivor Lev Aronson, beginning at age 12. "I think the thing that impressed me the most was that he showed how much music could mean to somebody," Thornton told Artseek. "With his experience in the Holocaust, where he lost basically everything that was important to him, even his belief in humanity, music was the one thing that stuck through for him. And he used to say that music was his religion. And for me, being a young teenager in Dallas at the time, it was really a revelation that someone could have that belief, that music could mean that much to him." Thornton later started a festival devoted to Aronson's memory at Dallas' Southern Methodist University. He also studied with Lynn Harrell, John Sharp, and Steven Geber. He joined the Cleveland Orchestra for the 1994-1995 season and has remained a member ever since, becoming the holder of the William P. Blair Endowed Chair. Thornton has appeared as a cello soloist with more than 30 orchestras and has performed at venues as diverse as the White House and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. As a Yamaha Artist since 2010, he has also often appeared in Japan and given master classes there; he has also taught in Germany, and at various U.S. locations. Thornton maintains his own studio and leads his own ensemble in the Cleveland suburb of Solon that has offered many premieres. He has played in the first performances of works by John Adams, Donald Erb, and other composers. He has appeared on several recordings of Jewish music including Sol Sajn: Jiddische Musik in Deutschland und ihre Einflüsse (1953-2009). Signed to the Steinway & Sons label, he released an album of Brahms cello sonatas with pianist Spencer Myer in 2019.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discografía
5 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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Kol Nidrei and Beyond, Lev's Story
Clásica - Editado por Brian Thornton el 29 may. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sirventès
Brian Thornton, Katherine Bormann, Callisto Quartet, Amahl Arulanandam
Clásica - Editado por New Focus Recordings el 21 abr. 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Debussy: Cello Sonata, L. 135 - Brahms: Clarinet Trio, Op. 114
Brian Thornton, Afendi Yusuf, Spencer Myer
Música de cámara - Editado por Steinway and Sons el 1 mar. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
R. Schumann: Works for Cello & Piano
Música de cámara - Editado por Steinway and Sons el 2 ago. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Cello Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2
Clásica - Editado por Steinway and Sons el 16 jun. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo