Cello Concerto (Myaskovsky)
Encyclopedia
Nikolai Myaskovsky
composed his Cello Concerto in C minor, Op.
66, during the years 1944-45. It ranks among the few works of the composer that is to be found most frequently in concert or on recordings.
The concerto is in two movements
:
The total duration of the concerto amounts to about 25 minutes. The piece is among the late works of the composer, and among its melodies appear Russian folk songs.
The concerto was written for Sviatoslav Knushevitsky
, one of Myaskovsky's great champions, who premiered it in Moscow on 17 March 1945. The first recording, however, was made by Mstislav Rostropovich
in 1956.
Nikolai Myaskovsky
Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "father of the Soviet symphony".-Early years and first important works:...
composed his Cello Concerto in C minor, Op.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
66, during the years 1944-45. It ranks among the few works of the composer that is to be found most frequently in concert or on recordings.
The concerto is in two movements
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
:
- Lento ma non troppo - Andante - Tempo I
- Allegro vivace - Piu marcato - Meno mosso - Tempo I
The total duration of the concerto amounts to about 25 minutes. The piece is among the late works of the composer, and among its melodies appear Russian folk songs.
The concerto was written for Sviatoslav Knushevitsky
Sviatoslav Knushevitsky
Sviatoslav Nikolayevich Knushevitsky was a Russian classical cellist. He was particularly noted for his partnership with the violinist David Oistrakh and the pianist Lev Oborin in a renowned piano trio from 1940 until his death...
, one of Myaskovsky's great champions, who premiered it in Moscow on 17 March 1945. The first recording, however, was made by Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
in 1956.