1950-Present Cello Concerto Flashcards
Name 6 cello concertos ca.1950-present.
- Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto, Op.125 (revision of Op.58, 1950-2)
- William Walton: Cello Concerto (1956)
- Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat for cello and orchestra (1959)
- Benjamin Britten: Cello Symphony for cello and orchestra (1963)
- Witold Lutosławski: Concerto for cello and orchestra (1969–70)
- Henri Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain… for cello and orchestra (1970)
Piece: cello concerto by Prokofiev.
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto, Op.125 (revision of Op.58, 1950-2)
- Rostropovich worked with Prokofiev on the revision of his Op.58 (1933–8) Cello Concerto which eventually became the Sinfonia Concertante.
- The premiere of Prokofiev’s Cello Concerto (Op. 58) was generally thought to have been very poorly interpreted by the cellist, though the blame fell on Prokofiev for writing a “soul-less” concerto. The concerto was seldom played afterwards, until Prokofiev heard Rostropovich play it at a 1947 concert at the Moscow Conservatory. The performance reawakened Prokofiev’s interest in the cello, and he rewrote his concerto (with advice from Rostropovich) to create the Symphony-Concerto (Op. 125).
- Also dating from this period are his cello sonata of 1949
- This work inspired Dmitri Shostakovich to write his Cello Concerto No. 1, also dedicated to Rostropovich.
Piece: cello concerto by Walton.
William Walton: Cello Concerto (1956)
- Commissioned by cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, to whom he dedicated it.
- The lyrical first movement allows the soloist a long-spun theme, at first over the plucked notes of the strings. A secondary theme, marked a tempo tranquillo, offers a descending pattern of semi-quavers, against the recurrent opening motif, leading to the eventual return of the principal theme over a repeated flute and oboe accompaniment.
- The following Allegro appassionato, a scherzo, relaxes briefly into a more lyrical trio that interrupts the headlong course of the music.
- The concerto ends with a theme and four improvisations, two each for orchestra alone and solo cello, and ends Adagio, quietly. After the slow opening melody the cello leads into a first variation coloured by the use of harp, vibraphone and celesta. The second is for cello alone, marked Risoluto tempo giusto. brioso, to be followed by a fierce Allegro molto. The rhapsodic fourth variation, for cello alone, ends in trills that introduce the final section, with reminiscences of the first movement and the return of the theme.
- Piatigorsky told Walton that the violinist Jascha Heifetz had some reservations about the ending, so the composer provided an alternative ending, but ultimately his first version was the version that was premiered. In 1975 Piatigorsky himself asked Walton to revise the ending. He did so, but Piatigorsky’s illness (and death) prevented him from performing that version, and it remains unheard.
- Walton regarded the Cello Concerto more favourably than his Violin or Viola concertos.
Piece: cello concerto by Shostakovich, 1.
Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat for cello and orchestra (1959)
- Shostakovich wrote the work for his friend Mstislav Rostropovich, who also received the dedication, and committed it to memory in four days before giving the premiere.
- It shares certain features with the Sinfonia Concertante of Sergei Prokofiev (such as the prominent role of isolated timpani strokes). Shostakovich said that “an impulse” for the piece was provided by his admiration for that earlier work.
- The DSCH motive recurs throughout the concerto (except in the second movement), giving this concerto a cyclic structure.
- The first movement begins with its four-note main theme derived from the composer’s DSCH motif, although the intervals, rhythm and shape of the motto are continually distorted and re-shaped throughout the movement.
- The second movement is initially elegiac in tone. Its structure is similar to the baroque ritornello form, where the tutti ensemble plays the main theme which recurs and the soloist plays long passages of different material between occurrences of the theme. The solo cello plays its first melody in artificial harmonics with answers by the celesta, which leads into the cadenza. The second movement is the only movement with no reference to the DSCH motive.
- The cadenza stands as a movement in itself, and features double stops and pizzicato chords. It is also frequented by the first DSCH motive. The piu mosso section features fast ascending and descending scales.
- The final movement begins with an ascent to a high D. The cello begins playing a new theme that uses exactly the same notes as the DSCH motif. The modified version that was just played by bass instruments is repeated by the solo cello, accompanied by oboes playing fragments of the new DSCH theme. The first theme of this movement is played by the string section after, followed by the new DSCH theme in the woodwinds. The DSCH theme of the first movement is played, answered by the cello. After the third time this is played, the horn plays the theme again in longer notes. Then, the cello plays a passage from the first movement, which is followed by the first theme of this movement played by the woodwinds. This is followed by the first theme of the first movement played by the cellos of the orchestra, accompanied by scales in the solo cello.
Piece: cello concerto by Britten.
Benjamin Britten: Cello Symphony for cello and orchestra (1963)
- He dedicated the work to Mstislav Rostropovich, who gave the work its premiere in Moscow with the composer conducting. Rostropovich’s British première of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in 1960 brought Britten new friendships with both composer and soloist; Rostropovich’s artistry drew more music from Britten than any other performer save Pears: a sonata, three unaccompanied suites and this ‘Symphony’. Not ‘Concerto’: witness its four-movement form, scant conventional solo virtuosity, and character: ‘an argument on equal terms’, Britten said.
- The concertante Cello Symphony (1963) is an attempt to balance the traditional concerto and symphony. During its four movements the Cello Symphony moves from a deeply pessimistic opening to a finale of radiant happiness rare for Britten by this point. The composer considered it “the finest thing I’ve written”.
- The piece is in the four-movement structure typical of a symphony, but the final two movements are linked by a cello cadenza.
- The Cello Symphony epitomises Britten’s new stylistic economy following his kaleidoscopic opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream and all-embracing War Requiem: everything grows from the simplest intervals - seconds, thirds. Contrabassoon, tuba, double basses, percussion below, keening woodwind above, the cello speaks freely, eloquently.
- The eerie scherzo’s ceaseless evolution contrasts with the (for Britten) unusually strict sonata-form first movement, but redoubles its tragic drama.
- 3-4. The profound slow movement and Cadenza’s common themes germinate the Passacaglia’s solo-led repeating bass and brilliant D major trumpet melody, which kindle the glorious final apotheosis: darkness into light.
Piece: cello concerto by Lutosławski.
Witold Lutosławski: Concerto for cello and orchestra (1969–70)
- composed during a particularly traumatic period in Lutosławski’s life. His mother died in 1967, and the period 1967–70 saw a great deal of unrest in Poland.
- Lutosławski did not support the Soviet regime, and these events have been postulated as reasons for the increase in antagonistic effects in his work, particularly the Cello Concerto of 1968–70 for Rostropovich and the Royal Philharmonic Society. Indeed, Rostropovich’s own opposition to the Soviet regime in Russia was just coming to a head (he shortly afterwards declared his support for the dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn). Lutosławski himself did not hold the view that such influences had a direct effect on his music, although he acknowledged that they impinged on his creative world to some degree. In any case, the Cello Concerto was a great success, earning both Lutosławski and Rostropovich accolades.
- In the Concerto, typically, the soloist is the ubiquitous hero of the work, varied in contrasting moods and forms of expression that follow the request of Rostropovich to take no account of technical problems for the soloist but only of musical problems. The whole work is built on the principle of conflict, in form and in expression. The cello-writing is as polyphonic as that for unaccompanied violin by Bach or Bartók, but here the polyphony is a matter of craftsmanship, of ambience, and of types of expression.
The Concerto, consists of four linked movements, Introduction, 4 Episodes, a Cantilena, and a Finale.
- 1. It begins with an introduction for the soloist that develops from the note D, repeated. This provides an inner dialogue between phrases that make a firm statement of belief and those that oppose it. Soon, however, conflict begins with the first interruption by the brass. This continues in four phases, the second with four outbursts from the brass, the third a lyrical cello solo with strings, again interrupted with greater intensity and the fourth the climax of the work.
- 2. The soloist, after the brusque interruption of the Introduction, moves on to the first of the four Episodes, which all involve dialogue with other instruments and are all to be interrupted by the ‘serious’ brass.
- 3. The cello, relatively unconcerned, turns to weightier matters when it comes to the Cantilena, interrupted by the whole orchestra.
- 4. In the Finale the cello is, as it were, attacked by smaller groups of instruments, leading to what might appear defeat. This is contradicted by the final coda, recalling the opening and allowing a triumphant rather than a despairing conclusion.
Piece: cello concerto by Dutilleux.
Henri Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain… for cello and orchestra (1970)
- “Tout un monde lointain, absent, presque défunt” (A whole distant world, absent, almost defunct)
- In the 1960s, Dutilleux met Mstislav Rostropovich, who commissioned him to write a cello concerto. Rostropovich premièred the work in 1970. It is one of the most important additions to the cello repertoire of the second half of the 20th century and is considered one of the composer’s major achievements.
- Despite the fact that the score does not state that it is a cello concerto, Tout un monde lointain… has always been considered as such.
- The overall feel of the work is mysterious and oneiric.
- The piece has 5 movements, each bearing a title and a quotation from a poem from Les fleurs du mal, by Charles Baudelaire. There is no break or pause between the movements.
- I. Énigme (Enigma): The piece opens with soft drum and cymbal rolls followed by a tentative 12-note theme played by the cello. This theme is cross-referenced throughout the work. The orchestra appears gradually and starts a dialogue with the soloist. The music is at first quiet but leads to the main section which is highly rhythmic and displays extended techniques. It ends with the soloist playing a high A, which is also the first note of the second movement.
II. Regard (Gaze): This is the first slow movement of the work. The cello line is modal in character and stays in the instrument’s high register. The music forms a long arch and ends on a reprise of the motif that opened the work.
III. Houles (Surges): The middle movement functions as a scherzo with an extremely difficult solo part. It is a colourful and dream-like seascape that starts with a passage for cello alone, gradually joined by the orchestra. The last notes provide a link to the next movement.
IV. Miroirs (Mirrors): This is the second slow movement. The cello line is once again modal. It is accompanied by calm, liquid pulsation from the percussions and “mirror” chords played by the harp as well as phrases in backwards motion by the violins. Towards the end, the 12-note motif that opened the work reappears.
V. Hymne (Hymn): The last movement recasts some material from the preceding movements. The music goes through several nervous climaxes then disappears suddenly on a suspended tremolo figure played by the cello.
How many cello concertos did Krzysztof Penderecki compose?
2 numbered concertos, one sonata for cello and orchestra, a transcription of a viola concerto, one movement for cello and orchestra, and a concerto grosso for three cellos and orchestra.
- Sonata for cello and orchestra (1964), for Siegfried Palm
- Cello Concerto No. 1 (1972)
- Cello Concerto No. 2 (1982)
- Cello Concerto (transcription from Viola Concerto, 1983)
- Concerto Grosso No. 1, for three cellos and orchestra (2000–01)
- Largo for cello and orchestra (2003)
Who was Mstislav Rostropovich?
Mstislav Rostropovich (1927–2007)
- Considered by many to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of all time.
- He was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enlarged the cello repertoire more than any cellist before or since. He gave the premieres of over 100 pieces, forming long-standing friendships and artistic partnerships with composers including Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Henri Dutilleux, Witold Lutoslawski, Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Benjamin Britten, Leonard Bernstein, Alfred Schnittke, Aram Khachaturian, Ástor Piazzolla, and Sofia Gubaidulina.
- Prokofiev: Sonata for cello and piano (1949; premiere), Symphony-Concerto, Op.125 (revision of Op.58, 1950-2; dedication & premiere)
- Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat for cello and orchestra (1959; dedication & premiere), Cello Concerto No. 2 in G/g for cello and orchestra (1966; dedication & premiere)
- Britten: Sonata for cello and piano, Op.65 in C (1960–61; dedication & premiere), Cello Symphony for cello and orchestra (1963; dedication & premiere), Solo Cello Suites (1964, 1967, 1972; dedication & premiere)
- Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain… for cello and orchestra (1970), Trois Strophes sur le Nom de SACHER for solo cello (for Paul Sacher, 1976–82)
- Lutoslawski: Concerto for cello and orchestra (1969–70), Sacher Variation for solo cello (for Paul Sacher, 1975)
- Penderecki: Cello Concerto No.2 (1982), Per Slava for solo cello (1986), Largo for cello and orchestra (2003), Sextet for piano, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, and cello (2000)
- Berio: Ritorno degli snovidenia for cello and thirty instruments (1977), Les mots sont allés… “recitativo” for solo cello (1978; for Paul Sacher)
- Messiaen: Concert à quatre (Quadruple concerto) for piano, cello, flute, oboe) and orchestra (1992)
Name Walton’s cellist.
Gregor Piatigorsky
Who was Daniil Shafran?
Daniil Shafran (1923-1997) - Received the dedication and gave the premiere of Kabalevsky’s Concerto No.2 in c for cello and orchestra (1964).
Who was the cellist for the following composers: Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Henri Dutilleux, Witold Lutoslawski, Olivier Messiaen, Luciano Berio, Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Benjamin Britten, Leonard Bernstein, Alfred Schnittke, Aram Khachaturian, Ástor Piazzolla, and Sofia Gubaidulina.
Mstislav Rostropovich
Name 2 of Shostakovich’s cellists.
Viktor Kubatsky
Mstislav Rostropovich
Name 7 Russian composers of works for cello and orchestra ca.1950-present.
- Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony-Concerto, Op.125 (revision of Op.58, 1950-2)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat for cello and orchestra (1959)
- Cello Concerto No. 2 in G/g for cello and orchestra (1966)
- Dmitri Kabalevsky: Concerto No.2 in c for cello and orchestra (1964)
- György Ligeti: Concerto for cello and orchestra (1966)
- Witold Lutosławski: Concerto for cello and orchestra (1969–70)
- Alfred Schnittke
- Concerto Grosso No. 2, for violin, violoncello and orchestra (1981–82)
- Concerto No.1 for cello and orchestra (1986)
- Concerto No.2 for cello and orchestra (1989-1990)
- Sofia Gubaidulina
- Seven Last Words, Partita for cello, bayan, and string orchestra (1982)
- The Canticles of the Sun for cello and orchestra (1996)
Name 3 English composers of works for cello and orchestra ca.1950-present.
- William Walton: Cello Concerto (1956)
- Benjamin Britten: Cello Symphony for cello and orchestra (1963)
- John Tavener
- The Protecting Veil for cello and strings (1987)
- Requiem for cello, soloists, chorus, orchestra (2008)
