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In the Forum: Musical Discussions
In the Thread: Great Cello Concertos
Post Subject: a couple of initial thoughtsPosted by Amphissa on: 7/18/2006
I suppose it is appropriate for my first post on this board to be about cello music. Since my wife is a cellist, I have had the opportunity to collect a great deal of cello music recordings -- although unlike Clark, my collection does not include 78s.
You are right about the Wikipedia list of cello concerti. In fact, I passed along to them last week a list of a dozen more composers of cello concerti to add to the list. Perhaps it will be updated soon.
I am not as impressed with Casals as you are. Yes, he is a sentimental favorite and I have many of his recordings. But by today's standards, his technique is often sloppy and interplay with orchestra often leaves much to be desired. So even if we think of him as the father of cello, IMO, his recordings are rarely among the best available.
I have all but one of the existing recordings of the Myaskovsky concerto. The ones you mention are good and I would be happy with any of them, but my favorite is by Natalia Gutman on Melodiya LP. I do not think this has ever made the transition to CD.
I assume you are referring to the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto No. 1. He did write a second concerto, although it is rarely recorded. In fact, the only recording I've heard is the one by Isserlis.
You list Schnittke's Concerto No. 2, but what about the real monster, No. 1? Like the Viola Concerto, it is among his best compositions. The recording by its dedicatee, Natalia Gutman, is raw and passionate. Quite different is the more recent recording by Ivashkin, which is more polished and singing. I am also very fond of the recording by Carlos Prieto, who premiered the work in many countries outside Russia, but recorded it with a Russian orchestra.
There are many interesting works for cello and orchestra, of course. Maybe we can add more to your list.Rerurn to Romy the Cat's Site