Cello Concerto (Khachaturian)
Encyclopedia
Aram Khachaturian
wrote his Cello Concerto in E minor in 1946 for Sviatoslav Knushevitsky
. It was the last of the three concertos he wrote for the individual members of a renowned Soviet piano trio that performed together from 1941 until 1963. The others were: the Piano Concerto
for Lev Oborin
(1936); and the Violin Concerto
for David Oistrakh
(1940).
Although the last written of the three, the Cello Concerto was the first one Khachaturian had considered writing, when he was a cello student at the Gnessin Institute.
The work was premiered on 30 October 1946 (or November 1946), in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, with the dedicatee Sviatoslav Knushevitsky
as soloist. The conductor was Aleksandr Gauk
.
The Cello Concerto is the least known of the three concertos, and has not entered the core repertoire of cellists in the way the other two have for pianists and violinists. It has received relatively few recordings.
The work is said to echo Khachaturian's painful experiences of war-time. It contains many allusions to folk material and dance rhythms such as the ashoug. It has been described as more of a symphony with cello than a cello concerto.
The three movements are:
The opening movement contains sections of a brooding quality, and even quotes
the Dies Irae
. It is rhapsodic and changeable in its moods. It contains a lengthy cadenza but has little by way of thematic development.
The central Andante has been described as 'introspective and melancholy', 'nocturnal and seductive', 'dramatic and stern', and 'menacing, oriental and melismatic'.
The third movement is full of bustle and tension. However, its energy level decreases until just near the end, when it concludes with a fast coda.
The work was one of the reasons Khachaturian was ousted from the Composers Union, and he and other Soviet composers were denounced for formalism in the Zhdanov Decree of 1948
.
Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
wrote his Cello Concerto in E minor in 1946 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...
. It was the last of the three concertos he wrote for the individual members of a renowned Soviet piano trio that performed together from 1941 until 1963. The others were: the Piano Concerto
Piano Concerto (Khachaturian)
Aram Khachaturian's Piano Concerto in D-flat major, Op. 38, was composed in 1936. It was his first work to bring him recognition in the West, and it immediately entered the repertoire of many notable pianists....
for Lev Oborin
Lev Oborin
Lev Nikolayevich Oborin was a Russian pianist. He was the winner of the first International Chopin Piano Competition in 1927.The family moved a lot during his early childhood. When they settled down in Moscow in 1914, he was sent to music school. He studied with Yelena Gnessin, a pupil of...
(1936); and the Violin Concerto
Violin Concerto (Khachaturian)
Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D minor was completed in 1940 and dedicated to the great Russian violinist David Oistrakh, who premièred the concerto in Moscow on November 16, 1940. Oistrakh advised Khachaturian on the composition of the solo part and also wrote his own cadenza that markedly...
for David Oistrakh
David Oistrakh
David Fyodorovich Oistrakh , , David Fiodorović Ojstrakh, ; – October 24, 1974, was a Soviet violinist....
(1940).
Although the last written of the three, the Cello Concerto was the first one Khachaturian had considered writing, when he was a cello student at the Gnessin Institute.
The work was premiered on 30 October 1946 (or November 1946), in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, with the dedicatee 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...
as soloist. The conductor was Aleksandr Gauk
Aleksandr Gauk
Aleksandr Vassilievich Gauk was a Russian/Soviet conductor and composer.Aleksandr Gauk was born in Odessa in 1893. He recalled his first experience as hearing army bands and his mother singing and accompanying herself at the piano...
.
The Cello Concerto is the least known of the three concertos, and has not entered the core repertoire of cellists in the way the other two have for pianists and violinists. It has received relatively few recordings.
The work is said to echo Khachaturian's painful experiences of war-time. It contains many allusions to folk material and dance rhythms such as the ashoug. It has been described as more of a symphony with cello than a cello concerto.
The three movements are:
- 1. Allegro moderato
- 2. Andante sostenuto - attaca
- 3. Allegro (a battuta).
The opening movement contains sections of a brooding quality, and even quotes
Musical quotation
Musical quotation is the practice of directly quoting another work in a new composition. The quotation may be from the same composer's work , or from a different composer's work ....
the Dies Irae
Dies Irae
Dies Irae is a thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano . It is a medieval Latin poem characterized by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic...
. It is rhapsodic and changeable in its moods. It contains a lengthy cadenza but has little by way of thematic development.
The central Andante has been described as 'introspective and melancholy', 'nocturnal and seductive', 'dramatic and stern', and 'menacing, oriental and melismatic'.
The third movement is full of bustle and tension. However, its energy level decreases until just near the end, when it concludes with a fast coda.
The work was one of the reasons Khachaturian was ousted from the Composers Union, and he and other Soviet composers were denounced for formalism in the Zhdanov Decree of 1948
Zhdanov Doctrine
The Zhdanov Doctrine was a Soviet cultural doctrine developed by the Central Committee secretary Andrei Zhdanov in 1946. It proposed that the world was divided into two camps: the imperialistic, headed by the United States; and democratic, headed by the Soviet Union...
.