Today I’d like to share with you Cello Concerto in B Minor, by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904). As I was listening to this piece, I was amazed at how American parts of it sounded. I could suddenly see a home on the prairie, and a wagon rolling through Oklahoma.
By the late 19th century Dvorak had become one of the most famous living composers, maybe second only to Brahms. The 19th century was the century of Europe, especially when it came to classical music. Jeannette Thurber, the wife of a very wealthy food distributor, wanted to change that. She wanted to bring classical music to the United States. In 1892 she invited Dvorak to the US to head the National Conservatory of Music in New York. She offered to pay him $15,000, twenty times more than he was paid at his current job.
Dvorak’s main goal was to discover – and compose – distinctively American classical music. His unique gift was an ability to incorporate local folk music into his masterpieces. Discover he did.
Dvorak spent three fruitful years in the United States, where he composed his now most famous (ninth) symphony – the New World Symphony. And this is where he also wrote this cello concerto. While in the US he found out that his wife’s older sister (whom he courted but was rejected by) was seriously ill. Dvorak dedicated the third movement of the concerto to her.
This concerto is one of the most popular cello concertos today and thus we have a wealth of options as to who is the cellist performing this masterpiece. If you listen from minutes five to eight, you’ll clearly hear the American music (I think of cowboy westerns). But this is not where I really want to focus your attention. Minute nine of the first part has a wonderful cadenza (a solo for cello) that separates great performers from geniuses. In this cadenza a cellist gets a rare opportunity to compose his or her own music within the bounds of what Dvorak wrote. Not to get overdramatic here, but for a moment the cellist gets to expose his or her soul.
I am going to set the recordings below to this cadenza (you can always rewind them back). Jacqueline du Pré stole my heart with her performance.
Who is your favorite performer?
I enjoy the Cello Concerto by Dvorak, thank you.The first time I heard cello concerto on LP was by by Pablo Casals in 1970, and I fell in love with the instrument.
Of course I love Rostropovich, but the quality of recording and captured expression of C.Gautiern was excellent!
In my humble opinion, Du Pre’s performance captured the essence of America the best. Raw, with imperfections, but strong and never once did the orchestra rise to the level of the soloist. Rostopovich came close, and was the most masterful performer. The third one came across with too much Russian flavor, and the final performer was far too refined, too French. Du Pre and Rostopovich were able to rise above their own culture and capture America.
In response to James’ comment, I have to admit I quite liked Gautier Capuçon’s performance, exactly because it was so refined. I also loved his tone but that may well have as much to do with the quality of the recording as anything else.
Thanks Vitaliy for posting the four different versions. Most enjoyable.
Well, I’ve loved the virile Starkers (mono on Angel, stereo on Mercury) above all the rest. In the Mercury, the slow movement flute-cello duet is breathed together perfectly, chamber music in the middle of an orchestral piece. Secure, robust playing where appropriate, at the service of the music.