Victor Herbert (1859-1924) is mostly remembered for his charming operettas, including the 1910 Naughty Marietta, immortalised on celluloid 25 years later with America's singing sweethearts, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.
A new collection of his orchestral music reminds us that this man had a very different life before he succumbed
to the lure of Broadway in 1894.
Born in Ireland but raised in Germany, Herbert emigrated to the USA at age 27 for a career as a concert cellist and conductor. Praised in his time as "the cellist par excellence of this country," he also penned two attractive concertos for his instrument, the second of which has maintained a small niche in the repertoire.
As recently as 2009, coinciding with his NZSO tour, the French cellist Gautier Capucon released a recording, coupling it with the uber-popular Dvorak.
This is not firmament-shaking music; in fact, there are moments in the first concerto that could well have been tweaked into songs and dances for later operettas.
