Search - Alfred Schnittke, Seiji Ozawa :: Schnittke: Cello Concerto No.2; In Memoriam

Alfred Schnittke, Seiji Ozawa
Schnittke: Cello Concerto No.2; In Memoriam
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (10) - Disc #1
1. Concerto for cello & orchestra No.2: 1. Moderato
2. Concerto for cello & orchestra No.2: 2. Allegro
3. Concerto for cello & orchestra No.2: 3. Lento
4. Concerto for cello & orchestra No.2: 4. Allegretto vivo
5. Concerto for cello & orchestra No.2: 5. Grave
6. In Memoriam, for orchestra (orchestral version of the Piano Quintet): 1. Moderato
7. In Memoriam, for orchestra (orchestral version of the Piano Quintet): 2. Tempo di Valse
8. In Memoriam, for orchestra (orchestral version of the Piano Quintet): 3. Andante
9. In Memoriam, for orchestra (orchestral version of the Piano Quintet): 4. Lento
10. In Memoriam, for orchestra (orchestral version of the Piano Quintet): 5. Moderato pastorale

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CD Details

All Artists: Alfred Schnittke, Seiji Ozawa
Title: Schnittke: Cello Concerto No.2; In Memoriam
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 1
Label: Sony
Original Release Date: 1/1/1992
Re-Release Date: 6/2/1992
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Concertos, Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Instruments, Strings, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074644824124

Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording

Schnittke (b. 1934) has been called a "magician" for his nearly magical evocation of this century's most advanced musical styles. As a polystylist, he employs any mode that suits the music. He can have stretches of atonality and harsh serialism, then launch into passages of utter tonal beauty. This is a good disc that contains those features. The Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra 2 (1990) is a tense, difficult work, very demanding for the soloist (it was written for Mstislav Rostropovich). In Memoriam (1979) was originally a piano quintet, but Gennady Rozhdestvensky wanted it orchestrated. It is one of Schnittke's greatest compositions. --Paul Cook

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CD Reviews

Cello Concerto No.2: sublime!

villegem | canada | 11/05/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording of Cello Concerto No.2 is the first recording to come out of this amazing concerto. Written in 1990 Rostropovitch and Osawa are giving their best in 1992 to understand a complex work. Recent recording such as Ivashkin on Chandos may give a clearer vision of the work, although the jury is still out. However the 4th and 5th mvt in the Rostropovitch recording are haunted like nowhere else. This makes it a MUST have recording for Schnittke fans. I heard the piece performed in concert in January 2001 by Torleif Thedeen Cello, in London and this was superb too (check his BIS recording of it).

Today April 27, 2007 Rostropovich left us to join his best friends. I listened again to this recording and I wish to add to my 2001 review. I think the reason this performance might be a bit more difficult to apprehend at first is because of its incredible depth. Other recordings tend to simplify or brush off certain aspects and thus bring instant gratification. However, and without any doubt, Rostropovich/Osawa recording IS the definitive recording of this monumental piece. The clarity of the orchestration, the noble, steely yet deeply humane cello playing, the quality of recording and the organic music are unmatched. Listening to Slava in the Dvorak with Karajan was Slava's earthly journey, while the Schnittke concerto represnts where Slava now is.

This recording is a MUST listen for all."

Essential Schnittke!

John Hopfensperger | Midland, MI | 03/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rostropovich in the Concerto No. 2 makes a strong impression. Recorded about the time of his somewhat labored-sounding Bach suites, he sounds like a much younger man here! This work is incredibly demanding on the soloist, but Slava is able to completely transcend the work's technical difficulties to deliver a profound reading of the score.

If anything, this orchestrated version of "In Memoriam," conducted by Rostropovich, is even finer. It carries me through the whole range of human emotions every time I hear it, leading up to the most brilliant ending to a piece of music that I have ever heard. It leaves me shaken, feeling a sense of smallness next to the immense genius of the composer.

This disk contains the finest "modern music" which I have ever heard, and is recorded in very fine 20-bit sound. For fans of Schnittke, Rostropovich, contemporary music, or simply of broadening their horizons, this disk is most heartily recommended!

5/5"