A Promising Young Cellist
In the summer of 1912, Frank LaForge, longtime accompanist of Mme. Sembrich, brought to her attention Gutia Casini, a young cellist whom he had recently heard perform. Casini, then only 17 years old and still a student at the Leipzig Conservatory, auditioned for Sembrich and was officially engaged to join her 1912-1913 US concert tour. As a result, Casini quickly garnered fame as one of the world’s leading cellists. Critics from Boston to San Francisco raved about his fine technique and musicality:
“Casini is not a virtuoso of the cello, he is something much finer, he is a cello vocalist.”
- The San Francisco Examiner, 1913.
Gutia Casini
Fun Fact: The 1912-1913 tour included a performance on December 16, 1912 in Scranton, PA, the hometown of our Artistic Director Richard Wargo! From The Tribune (Scranton, PA), Dec. 6. 1912. Click to enlarge
Marcella Sembrich (ca. 1912)
The following year, Casini toured with Sembrich’s Metropolitan Opera colleague soprano Frances Alda, during which time a recording of Richard Strauss’ song Morgen (Morning) was made. Use the link below to hear the recording by Casini, LaForge, and Alda.
