Review: ‘Hidden Legacies’ Features Cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper with the Kaunas City Symphony

By Miranda Wilson | From the May/June 2026 issue of Strings

Hidden Legacies juxtaposes the relatively well-known Korngold Cello Concerto with the two lesser-known concertos of Mieczysław Weinberg. The Weinberg works, in my opinion, are not performed or recorded as much as they deserve, so it’s gratifying to hear them on this album. Tying these two composers together is their shared history of fleeing Nazi persecution—Korngold to Hollywood, Weinberg to the Soviet Union—and never being able to return home. Knowing this history makes listening to their concertos an even more emotional experience for the listener. 

The soloist, Kristina Reiko Cooper, uses a gorgeously flexible rubato throughout, which seems fitting for the character of the pieces. While her vibrato might seem unusually slow and wide at this time, it fits well with the passionate mid-century style of all three concertos. The Kaunas City Symphony, under the direction of Constantine Orbelian, provides a colorful “foil” for Cooper’s dramatic playing. Their interpretation of Korngold is one of the best on record, and their persuasive performance of the two Weinberg works is most welcome for fans of the composer.