Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 & Kodály Cello Sonata Op. 8 - Classical Music CD for Orchestra Enthusiasts | Perfect for Concert Preparation, Music Study & Relaxation

Unlike the other reviewers, I wish to focus on Zoltan Kodaly’s solo cello sonata, a much finer composition than the Shostakovich concerto with which Dutch cellist Peter Wispelwey has chosen to pair it. The Kodaly, from 1914, has a deserved reputation as one of the best early modernist pieces; the Shostakovich is distinctly second tier output from the Russian master, and certainly doesn’t belong among his better pieces.I have two other recordings of the Kodaly, the classic version from Janos Starker, long considered the gold standard, and a lesser known but very fine version from cellist Alexander Michejew. The Wispelwey is better than either of these worthy alternatives. Starker’s is authentic, raw and taken pretty slowly. Michejew speeds the entire sonata up, which makes it both more elegant and more coherent. Wispelwey is almost as fast as Michejew here, and that helps him create the most structurally cohesive and ultimately interesting interpretation of the three. His playing shows command and great familiarity with the piece. The sonata makes substantial demands on any cellist’s technique; Wispelwey surmounts them with ease. The most striking outcome of his performance is a sure feel for the construction of the sonata, the recurrences and variations of the material, and the different textures Kodaly creates to contrast the melodies and ideas. Wispelwey’s is my new reference version of this tremendous work.In the 1920s, the young Dmitri Shostakovich was just launching his career. At that time, on the basis of raw composition talent alone, I would have given the forty-something Kodaly the edge. What happened afterwards is that Kodaly pretty much stopped composing and devoted himself to his musicological research, while Shostakovich began his painful life journey, resulting in some of the century’s most gripping and meaningful music. Besides his best work, he wrote a lot of stuff, and I rank this 1st cello concerto among this less inspired music. The great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich who premiered the work concertized with it extensively, so I think it has simply been put forward many more times, but it echoes ideas found elsewhere in Shostakovich’s writing, without really making them fresh.Whatever I personally think of the music, the qualities Wispelwey brings to the Kodaly are also present here in the Shostakovich: a sure sense of structure enabled by an ability to create textural and coloristic contrasts, and obvious virtuosity. The opening Allegro, a characteristic example of Shostakovich’s sarcasm, is done very well, with the right balancing between the cello’s often staccato writing and the orchestral interjections. The big central Moderato has a quite beautiful contrasting section in the middle, one of the few moments of really different and original writing by the author here, which conductor Richard Tognetti and the Australian Chamber Orchestra do with a nice sensitivity and interesting string sound.The disc also benefits from audiophile engineering, as one would expect from the Channel Classics label. Really a very accomplished performance from Wispelwey. Recommended.