Cello Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 : Symphonic Poem (Spring)

Abstract

Dmitri Kabalevsky wrote his Cello Concerto No. 1 in 1948 and 1949. It is the middle piece in a trilogy of concertos that he wrote for young Russian musicians, to whom he dedicated a large part of his life's energy and compositions. The Op. 48 is a violin concerto and the Op. 50 is a piano concerto. The Cello Concerto No. 1 was premiered in 1949, by Svyatoslav Knushevitsky, a young student to whom the piece was also dedicated. The orchestra was a student group from the Moscow Conservatory. The piece was received with much acclaim, as were the other two concertos in the trilogy. Kabalevsky was very popular with Russian audiences, composing music that was pleasing to the ear, and did not stray far from convention. Kabalevsky did, however, draw criticism from some because he generally rejected the direction new music was taking.

This concerto is in G minor and has three movements. The first is a march-type Allegro that begins with pizzicato in the string sections. They provide a steady pulse over which the cello enters, arco, with a striking melody that contains at once an energetic, melodic tension and a lyrical melodic release as the line soars into the upper register. The contrasting theme in this movement sounds less like a march and has almost a singsong quality about it. There is a brief cadenza toward the end, and the cello part becomes more virtuosic, as ascending double stops and passagework in octaves create an exciting peak before the movement ends in a surprisingly quiet manner.

The second movement is an elegiac Largo that Kabalevsky wrote in dedication to fallen Russian soldiers. The melody, although in B major, is based on a melancholy Russian folk song, and the movement is structured so that the cello part plays several lyrical stanzas of the melody. The solo part is accompanied by muted strings and there is a striking duo between the cello and the horns. Eventually the cello reaches a solo cadenza and the key is transformed from major into minor. This movement, like the first, has a very quiet ending.

The final movement is an Allegro Molto containing a set of variations based on another well-known Russian song. A lyrical clarinet line begins the movement before the cello enters with an emphatic melody. The melody slips quickly between agitation and lyricism, and during the lyrical parts various winds and brass in the orchestra take turns playing the melodic material from the cello's opening. This movement contains many beautiful, expressive moments that are peppered with variations of the more agitated material from the opening. The cello part is at times more virtuosic than in the previous two movements, growing in intensity until very fast notes lead to a spirited close.

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