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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Prokofiev - Cello Concerto & Symphony-Concerto
Alban Gerhardt (cello) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrew Litton The two works recorded here have an interestingly close musical relationship that is belied by their radically different sound-worlds. Prokofiev’s first work for cello and orchestra was abandoned by the composer after an unsuccesful premiere, and the full score remained unpublished for years. However, a rising star barely in his twenties, Mstislav Rostropovich, found a copy with piano accompaniment and impressed the composer with his performance in December 1947. As Rostropovich remembered from their backstage encounter: ‘Prokofiev told me that after listening carefully to the Concerto he had decided to rewrite it. I reminded him of this each time I met him after that, but without success.’ What followed, in fact, was a completely new work—the Sonata for cello and piano Op 119—and the premiere of that, with Rostropovich eloquently partnered by Sviatoslav Richter (a recording survives), finally persuaded the now-ailing composer to the dramatic revision of the original Concerto. The resulting Symphony-Concerto is now acknowledged as one of the composer’s late masterpieces. The young German virtuoso Alban Gerhardt was the soloist in a performance at the BBC Proms in 2008 that convinced a loudly appreciative audience of the merits of this work. It has been recorded here with the first verson, Cello Concerto No 1, a work of undeniable importance to scholars and music-lovers alike. Andrew Litton conducts the Bergen Symphony Orchestra in their second disc for Hyperion. “As with the Fourth Symphony, Prokofiev conceived a major work under one set of cultural assumptions and revised it under another. …experiencing both versions side by side is a revelation - even more disturbing, in many ways, yet also endlessly thought-provoking - as it shows one of the most brilliantly gifted composers in history beset by irreconcilable conflicts between instinct and culture. ...Alban Gerhardt's playing, appropriately spotlit, is top-drawer stuff.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2009 “Whatever conclusions one draws from a direct comparison between the two works, there is little doubt that Alban Gerhardt is equally committed to both. …he performs with consummate authority, pinpointing the vein of anxiety and uncertainty that lies beneath the surface of the Concerto... Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic offer incisive support... In the opening Andante of the Symphony-Concerto, Gerhardt and Litton establish an urgent and intense musical dialogue... Likewise, in the ensuring Allegro giusto both artists resists the temptation to slow down unduly from the glorious warm-hearted melody and deliver the macabre scherzo material with razor-sharp precision and biting wit.” BBC Music Magazine, October 2009 ***** “Matching menace with intense lyricism, these performances of two closely related works are compelling. Alban Gerhardt...can convey the lyrical lines mellifluously and also whet his cutting edge when the composer is at his most acerbic.” The Telegraph, 2nd December 2009 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Prokofiev - Cello Concertos & Sonatas
Alexander Ivashkin (cello) & Tatyana Lazareva (piano) Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Valeri Polyansky Having received glowing comments from the critical establishment on original release, Chandos brings together Alexander Ivashkin’s performances of Prokofiev’s Cello Concertos and Sonatas for the first time as a 2-CD set. Prokofiev’s love of the cello began early – he composed his Ballade aged scarcely 20 – and lasted throughout his life, fired by his friendship with Rostropovich. His very last composition was the Sonata, Op. 133 for solo cello, which he began on the latter half of 1952 but left unfinished at his death in March 1953. Towards the end of his life Prokofiev also engaged in the composition of three major works featuring the cellos as solo instrument. All three were inspired by Rostropovich. The Sonata, Op. 119 for cello and piano (1949) was followed by the Sinfonia Concertante, Op. 125 for cello and orchestra (1950-51, revised 1952) and the Concertino in G minor, Op. 132, also for cello and orchestra. Ivashkin gave the premiere recording of the Concertino. The Strad wrote, “This is wonderful playing, best of all is Ivashkin’s understatement whose artistry reveals many fascinating layerings. Alexander Ivashkin is recognised internationally for his interpretations of Russian music, especially the music of Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Gubaidulina and Kancheli. The Telegraph on his Prokofiev performances, “It would be hard to imagine a better advocate for these works than Ivashkin… His rich tone could have been made for Prokofiev’s lush melodic writing…” Ivashkin is joined here by the Russian State Symphony Orchestra under Valeri Polyansky. | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Prokofiev - Concertos
Prokofiev: | Scythian Suite, Op. 20 Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op. 10 Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19 Visions fugitives, Op. 22 Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 25 'Classical' Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 58 Sinfonietta, Op. 5/48 Overture on Hebrew Themes, for clarinet, string quartet & piano, Op. 34 |
Efrem Kurtz, Walter Susskind, Martha Argerich, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Michel Béroff & János Starker Philharmonia Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Berliner Philharmoniker, Simon Rattle, Charles Dutoit, Lorin Maazel & Riccardo Muti | | | Usually despatched in 4 - 5 working days. |
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| |  | The Unknown Prokofiev
Alexander Ivashkin (cello) Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Valeri Polyansky | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | Mstislav Rostropovich plays Cello Concertos
Bach, C P E: | Cello Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Wq 171 The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff | Dvorak: | Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa | Gagneux: | Triptyque pour violoncelle et orchestre Seiji Ozawa | Halffter, R: | Cello Concerto No. 2 Orchestre National de France, Crist¢bal Halffter | Hoddinott: | Noctis Equi, Scena for cello and orchestra London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano | Honegger: | Cello Concerto London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano | Jolivet: | Cello Concerto No. 2 (1966) André Jolivet | Knaifel: | Chapter Eight (live recording) | Milhaud: | Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1 Op. 136 London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano | Moret: | Cello Concerto Collegium Musicum de Zurich, Paul Sacher | Penderecki: | Cello Concerto No. 2 London Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano | Prokofiev: | Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 58 Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa | Shchedrin: | Cello Concerto "sotto voce concerto" (1994) Seiji Ozawa | Shostakovich: | Cello Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, Op. 107 London Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa | Tartini: | Cello Concerto in D major The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff | Tchaikovsky: | Variations on a Rococo Theme in A, Op. 33 Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa | Vivaldi: | Concerto for cello, strings & continuo in D minor RV 406 The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Hugh Wolff |
plus music for cello & organ by Frescobaldi, Marcello, J.S.Bach, Handel, Caix d’Herelois, Rheinberger & Saints-Saën
Mstislav Rostropovich (cello) “[on Vivaldi & C. P. E. Bach] Rostropovich, however, does have the true measure of these works and plays to an appropriate scale with a
beauty of tone unimaginable from a period instrument. His eloquence has a style of its own, beyond the usual
constraints of period and convention. The lyrical slow movements are imbued with a wistfulness and intimacy reflecting a well-known side of his musical personality; the brooding rhetorical quality of the C.P.E. Bach Adagio is especially compelling’” Gramophone Magazine | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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