SCHNITTKE: CONCERTOS FOR VIOLA AND CELLO (NO. 1) - BASHMET, ROZHDESTVENSKY, USSR MINISTRY OF CULTURE ORCHESTRA

Alfred Schnittke: Viola & Cello (no.1) Concertos

Yuri Bashmet (viola)
Natalia Gutman (Cello)
USSR Ministry of Culture
Symphony Orchestra
Gennady Rozhdestvensky

“Both these especially lyrical works were composed specifically for (these) star players whose recordings have generally been accepted as definitive….(Viola) Improving on Yuri Bashmet’s recordings…was never going to be an easy task. Other performers may play the piece, but Bashmet lives it” (Cello):“The Schnittke concerto was written for Gutman, and she takes possession of it with playing that blazes with emotional conviction as well as technical command…(It) comes to life…in a finale that seems to cross the anguished soul-searching of the last section of Berg’s Violin Concerto with the heaven-storming assertions that conclude Mahler’s Third Symphony. Schnittke added (this) after his near fatal illness in 1985, and its blend of triumph and foreboding is awesome” (© Gramophone)

Viola Concerto (1985) (35.21)
[1] Largo 4:52
[2] Allegro molto 13:00
[3] Largo 17:39

Cello Concerto No.1 (1986) (42.14)
[4] Pesante. Moderato 14:58
[5] Largo 10:23
[6] Allegro vivace 3:34
[7] Largo 13:18