Shostakovich & Martinu: Cello Concertos

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Poltéra gives a blazing account, bringing both eloquent shape and tonal richness to his melodic line…Wallfisch’s marvellous 1991 account with the Czech Philharmonic under Jiří Bělohlávek has... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2017, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 30th Jun 2017
Catalogue No: BIS2257
Label: BIS
Length: 64 minutes

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Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 126

Work length33:03

Album only

$9.00

$12.25

Christian Poltéra
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Gilbert Varga
Recorded: February 2016
Recording Venue: Jesus-Christus-Kirch, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany

I. Largo

Track length13:31

$2.05

$3.85

$5.25

II. Allegretto

Track length4:24

$1.00

$1.30

$1.75

III. Allegretto

Track length15:08

Album only

$3.85

$5.25

Martinů: Cello Concerto No. 2, H. 304

Work length31:10

$5.60

$10.30

$14.00

Christian Poltéra
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Gilbert Varga
Recorded: February 2016
Recording Venue: Jesus-Christus-Kirch, Berlin-Dahlem, Germany

I. Moderato

Track length11:21

$2.05

$3.85

$5.25

II. Andante poco moderato

Track length11:14

$2.05

$3.85

$5.25

III. Allegro

Track length8:35

$1.50

$2.60

$3.50

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About

The two cello concertos by Dmitri Shsotakovich were both written for his friend Mstislav Rostropovich but whereas the first is rhythmic and virtuosic, teh 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.

Reviews

December 2017

Poltéra gives a blazing account, bringing both eloquent shape and tonal richness to his melodic line…Wallfisch’s marvellous 1991 account with the Czech Philharmonic under Jiří Bělohlávek has been a benchmark… Poltéra is a worthy successor as soloist, and they offer a swifter, more satisfying finale.

September 2017

In this brilliant recording, Varga’s careful balancing of the orchestral instruments, often playing at the extremes of their range, opens up the sound and allows the cello to cut through the texture.

31st July 2017

Poltéra's charisma is winning. The dash to the finish is electrifying. A beguiling work, ripe for rediscovery.

Shostakovich & Martinu: Cello Concertos

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