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BIS

Martinu & Shostakovich: Cello Concertos / Poltera, Varga, Berlin Radio Symphony

$21.99

Details

Composer
MARTINU SHOSTAKOVICH
Artist
Poltera, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Varga
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Jun 02, 2017
Catalog #
BIS-2257
UPC
7318599922577

About

The two cello concertos by Dmitri Shsotakovich were both written for his friend Mstislav Rostropovich but whereas the first is rhythmic and virtuosic, the second is subdued and introverted. Composed in 1966, it is often regarded as a watershed work, heralding Shostakovich's final stylistic period marked by a certain sombreness and a trend towards more transparent scoring. The op. 126 concerto has become somewhat overshadowed by its older, more accessible sibling, something which also applies to the second work on this disc, for completely different reasons. Having compmleted his Cello Cocnerto No. 2 in 1945, Bohuslav Martinu was unsuccessful in his attempts to interest a leading cellist in promoting it. When the composer furthermore reworked his first cello concerto in 1955, the new version effectively obliterated all traces of the 1945 concerto, which didn't receive its first performance until 1965, six years after Martinu's death. The work is melodious with lyrical qualities, and many have interpreted it as an expression of the nostalgia the composer experienced as an exile in the U.S.A. during the last winter of the World War II.

Tracklist 6 tracks

  1. 1 I. Largo 13:25
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Largo
    Duration
    13:25
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Christian Poltéra
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gilbert Varga
  2. 2 II. Scherzo: Allegretto – 04:24
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Allegretto –
    Duration
    04:24
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Christian Poltéra
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gilbert Varga
  3. 3 III. Finale: Allegretto 14:55
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Finale: Allegretto
    Duration
    14:55
    Composer
    Dmitri Shostakovich
    Performer
    Christian Poltéra
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gilbert Varga
  4. 4 I. Moderato 11:17
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Moderato
    Duration
    11:17
    Composer
    Bohuslav Martinů
    Performer
    Christian Poltéra
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gilbert Varga
  5. 5 II. Andante poco moderato 11:09
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Andante poco moderato
    Duration
    11:09
    Composer
    Bohuslav Martinů
    Performer
    Christian Poltéra
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gilbert Varga
  6. 6 III. Allegro 08:04
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    08:04
    Composer
    Bohuslav Martinů
    Performer
    Christian Poltéra
    Ensemble
    Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
    Conductor
    Gilbert Varga