About

The young American cellist Eugene Lifschitz has been performing in recital and as soloist with orchestras around the globe since the age of 10 with solo appearances in Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Romania, Russia, Spain and the United States.

“Cellist Eugene Lifschitz gave a richly varied and impressively musical recital” and played with “beautiful intonation and amazing virtuosity.”

—San Jose Examiner

Eugene Lifschitz is currently Principal Solo Cello of the Staatsorchester Kassel (Kassel Orchestra), the resident orchestra of the Staatstheater Kassel in Germany. The position was awarded Mr. Lifschitz by audition in November, 2014.

Eugene has performed as soloist with the San Jose Symphony, the Fremont Symphony, the Filarmonia Pitesti (Romania) and the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra with which he gave his orchestral debut at age 10.

Awards include: in 2015, Eugene won 1st Prize (“Premio Citta di Padova”) in the Soloists with Orchestra Competition, in 2014, Eugene won 1st Prize (“Premio Citta di Padova”) for the Strings Competition Padova (Italy) and in 2007, he won 1st Prize in the Schlern International Music Festival Competition in Bolzano (Italy).

Eugene has performed in recital with artists such as violist Paul Coletti, cellist Eric Kim, clarinetist Julian Milkis, violinists Daniel Hope and Ingolf Turban, the pianist Robert Levin, and the cellists Wolfgang Boettcher and Wen-Sinn Yang. He has appeared in live broadcast concerts on National Public Radio, on PBS with Michael Tilson Thomas’ series as well as broadcasts in Europe and Russia.

Eugene has been principal cello of several youth orchestras including the San Francisco Youth Symphony, The Juilliard Symphony Orchestra, Moscow State Conservatory Orchestra, Colburn School Orchestra, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and the Orchester der Hochschule München.

He is on the faculty of the International Academy of Music of Burgos (Spain) and the Festival Castelnuovo di Garfagnana (Italy).

Teachers have included Natalia Gutman (Moscow Conservatory), Ronald Leonard (Colburn Conservatory), Wen Sinn Yang (Munich Hochschule) and David Soyer (The Juilliard School). Masterclasses with David Finckel, Suren Bagratuni, Joel Krosnick, Phillip Muller and Erling Blondal Bengtsson. Eugene is currently on professional leave from the master’s degree program at Munich Hochschule.

In 2015, Eugene will be the featured soloist with the Orquesta Sinfonica Municipal de Piura (Peru), and the Padova Symphony Orchestra (Italy).

Eugene plays a Frédéric Chaudièr cello (2004)

Music

Concertos

Luigi Boccherini
Concerto in B-Flat Major, B482

Karl Davydov
Concerto No.2 in A Major, Op. 14

Antonin Dvořák
Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104

Edward Elgar
Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85

Victor Herbert
Concerto No.2 in E Minor, Op. 30

Franz Joseph Haydn
Concerto in C Major, Hob. VIIb/1
Concerto in D Major, Hob. VIIb/2

Paul Hindemith
Concerto, Op. 3

Édouard Lalo
Concerto in D Minor

Sergei Prokofiev
Symphonie Concertante in E Minor, Op. 125

Camille Saint-Saëns
Concerto in A Minor, Op. 33

Dimitry Shostakovich
Concerto No.1, Op. 107

Robert Schumann
Concerto in A Minor, Op. 129

Richard Strauss
Don Quixote Op. 35

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33

William Walton
Cello Concerto

Works for Cello Alone

Johann Sebastian Bach
The Six Suites for Cello Solo
Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007
Suite No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1008
Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1009
Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010
Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011
Suite No. 6 in D Major, BWV 1012

Benjamin Britten
Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72

George Crumb
Sonata for Solo Cello

Paul Hindemith
Sonata for Cello Solo, Op. 25, No. 3

Zoltán Kodály
Sonata in B Minor for solo cello

György Ligeti
Sonata for Solo Cello

Krzysztof Penderecki
Per Slava, for solo cello


Works for Cello with Accompaniment

Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach Sonata in D Major, BWV 1028

Ludwig van Beethoven
Cello Sonata No. 1 in F Major, Op. 5
Cello Sonata No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 5
Cello Sonata No. 3 in A Major, Op. 69
Cello Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 102
Cello Sonata No. 5 in D Major, Op. 102
12 Variations on “See the conqu’ring hero comes” from Handel’s Judas Maccabäus for Cello and Piano, WoO 45
Seven Variations for cello and piano in E-Flat Major on Mozart’s “Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen”, WoO 46
12 Variations for cello and piano in F Major on Mozart’s “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen”, Op. 66

Luigi Boccherini
Cello Sonata No. 4 in A major

Johannes Brahms
Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38
Cello Sonata No. 2 in F Major, Op. 99

Frédéric Chopin
Mazurka for cello and piano
Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C Major, Op. 3

Karl Davydov
Am Springbrunnen (At the Fountain), from 4 Pieces for cello & piano, Op. 20

Claude Debussy
Cello Sonata

Antonín Dvořák
Silent Woods, Op. 68, No. 5
Rondo in G Minor, Op. 94

Gabriel Fauré
Élégie, Op. 24
Après un rêve, Op. 7, No. 1

Girolamo Frescobaldi
Toccata (edited by G. Cassadó)

Alberto Ginastera
Pampeana No. 2, for violoncello and piano, Op. 21

Alexander Glazunov
Sérénade Espagnole for cello & piano, from 2 Pieces for Cello & Orchestra, Op.20
Chant du ménestrel, Op.71

Edvard Grieg
Nocturne

Pietro Locatelli
Sonata No. 6 in D Major, from 12 Sonate da camera, Op.6

Astor Piazzolla
Ave Maria
Le Grand Tango
Libertango
Oblivion

David Popper
Elfentanz, Op. 39 (Dance of the Elves)
Hungarian Rhapsody, Op.68

Francis Poulenc
Sonate pour violoncelle et piano

Sergei Prokofiev
Cello Sonata in C Major, Op. 119

Sergei Rachmaninov
Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 19
Vocalise, Op. 34

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
“Flight of the Bumblebee,” from the opera: The Tale of Tsar Saltan

Franz Schubert
‘Ave Maria,’ Op. 52, No. 6

Robert Schumann
Five Stücke im Volkston for piano and cello, Op. 102
Fantasy Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 73

Rodion Shchedrin
In the Style of Albeniz for cello and piano (arr. V. Despalj)

Dmitri Shostakovich
Sonata in D minor for cello and piano, Op. 40

Leone Sinigaglia
Humoresque, for cello and piano, Op. 16, No. 2

Igor Stravinsky
Suite Italienne, for cello & piano, after Pulcinella (transcribed with G. Piatigorsky)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62

Giovanni Valentini
Sonata in E major


Chamber Works

Johann Sebastian Bach
Goldberg Variations (arr. for string trio by D. Sitkovetsky)

Ludwig Van Beethoven
Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 “Ghost”
Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 11 “Gassenhauer”
String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2
Septet for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello and contrabass in E-Flat major, Op. 20
String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4

Johannes Brahms
Trio No.1 in B Major, Op. 8
Trio No.2 in C Major, Op. 87
Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op.34
Trio for Piano, Clarinet, and Cello in A minor, Op. 114
String Sextet No.1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18
Piano Quartet No.3 in C Minor, Op. 60

Arcangelo Corelli
12 sonate da camera, Op. 2
12 sonate da chiesa, Op. 3
12 sonate da camera, Op. 4

Antonín Dvořák
Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96 “American”
Piano Quintet No.2 in A Major, Op. 81
String Quintet No.2 in G Major, Op. 77
Piano Trio No.4 in E Minor, Op. 90 “Dumky”
Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 87

Gabriel Fauré
Piano Quartet No.1 in C Minor, Op. 15
Piano Quintet No.2 in C Minor, Op. 115
La bonne chanson, Op. 61

Mikhail Glinka
Trio Pathétique in D minor

Paul Ben-Haim
Piano Quartet in C Minor, Op.4

Joseph Haydn
String Quartet No. 55 in D major, Op. 71, No. 2

Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 49
Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 66

Astor Piazzolla
Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)

Sergei Rachmaninov
Trio élégiaque No. 1 for violin, cello and piano

Maurice Ravel
Piano Trio in A Minor

Nino Rota
Trio for clarinet, cello and piano

Erwin Schulhoff
String Sextet

Dmitri Shostakovich
Piano Trio No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 8
Piano Trio NO. 2 in E Minor, Op. 67
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Franz Schubert
Piano Trio No. 2 in E-Flat Major, D. 929

Robert Schumann
Piano Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 47
Trio No.1 in D Minor, Op. 63

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
String Sextet in D Minor, Op. 70 “Souvenir de Florence”

Heiter Villa-Lobos
Assobio a Jato “The Jet Whistle” for flute and cello

Videos

Audio