Cello Concertos

[André]

Musica Celestis is a much shorter work than the concerto and it has a trendy title. That should account for quite a lot in the 'plays' tally 🫤.

Incidentally it's coupled with the concerto in the Truls Mork cd.

[Symphonic Addict]

Actually, while shouting out composers who excel in several areas, one of the most beautiful Cello Concertos of recent times, to me at least, is the Rainbow Concerto by Jacob ter Veldhuis (Jacob TV).

Just beautiful.

From his own website:

The Rainbow Concerto, for cello and orchestra, was commissioned by the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra for Marien van Staalen on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as a principal cellist of the orchestra. Premiere: February 21 2003 at the Rotterdam Doelen.

Orchestration: cello solo, 2122,4120, timp, perc, mar, hp, str

1. slow movement 13:12
2. fast movement 15:10

You and others are bringing some interesting suggestions. Several new works to be discovered.

[André]

Thanks to all those who mentioned Aaron Jay Kernis' 'Colored Field' concerto. My interest was piqued and I streamed the Truls Mork recording a bit earlier, and was very impressed.
He's more than a dab hand at orchestral colour, in fact he seems to have seven or eight of them working simultaneously at times, so rich, coloured and energetic is the score, at times in the Pandora's Box movement I could almost see visible characters leaping out of it. I found the music very appealing and was drawn effortlessly into its shadowed interior which I frequently found a very sympathetic spot to be. Good stuff.
(I note that on Spotify the 'plays' recorded for it are below 8,000. The following work 'Musica Celestis for cello and orchestra ' gets 340,000, so I might dip into that later to see what has driven them all wild.)

I've listened to both versions twice since yesterday. It's hard to differentiate them. The cello has a more easily traceable musical line than the english horn. The orchestra is very colourful and the english horn sometimes gets confused (lost?) in the big passages with winds and brass. Mørk's cello is recorded naturally, i.e. the engineers didn't record him à la Rostropovich, with a mic 3 inches from the instrument. I felt it would have helped to have a closer balance of the soloist.

The orchestra being quite big and at times decibels-laden, its voice sometimes gets lost in the mêlée. Both orchestras play very well (Minnesota-Eiji Oue with Mørk, San Francisco - Alasdair Neale with english hornist Julie-Ann Giacobassi). A toss-up then, a choice between the two very much depending on availability and personal taste. My choice: Mørk's cello in a closer recording, with the SF orchestra. There.

I'll replay both again. The music can withstand such close scrutiny. I'm especially taken with the huge, cathartic last movement.

[relm1]

I've listened to both versions twice since yesterday. It's hard to differentiate them. The cello has a more easily traceable musical line than the english horn. The orchestra is very colourful and the english horn sometimes gets confused (lost?) in the big passages with winds and brass. Mørk's cello is recorded naturally, i.e. the engineers didn't record him à la Rostropovich, with a mic 3 inches from the instrument. I felt it would have helped to have a closer balance of the soloist.

The orchestra being quite big and at times decibels-laden, its voice sometimes gets lost in the mêlée. Both orchestras play very well (Minnesota-Eiji Oue with Mørk, San Francisco - Alasdair Neale with english hornist Julie-Ann Giacobassi). A toss-up then, a choice between the two very much depending on availability and personal taste. My choice: Mørk's cello in a closer recording, with the SF orchestra. There.

I'll replay both again. The music can withstand such close scrutiny. I'm especially taken with the huge, cathartic last movement.

Aaron Jay Kernis does a great job with endings.  You'll like his Symphony No. 2 if you like the concerto.

[Iota]

The orchestra being quite big and at times decibels-laden, its [cello] voice sometimes gets lost in the mêlée.

Yes indeed, and actually I remember thinking it was rather effective the way the cello emerged from the orchestral texture, creating a sense of searching/striving. But I've only heard it once so will see next time round if I get the same impression.

[André]

Aaron Jay Kernis does a great job with endings.  You'll like his Symphony No. 2 if you like the concerto.

I have it and I do !

[André]

Yes indeed, and actually I remember thinking it was rather effective the way the cello emerged from the orchestral texture, creating a sense of searching/striving. But I've only heard it once so will see next time round if I get the same impression.

One more time with the last movement. It's almost a concerto in itself with a 22-minute duration. The cello does emerge from the orchestral texture to telling effect. In the last 6-7 minutes we are suddenly in Rautavaara-Silvestrov, a musical dreamscape of telling beauty. I'm glad I reacquainted myself with this great work. Coupled with more Kernis cello goodies: Musica celestis (cello and strings) and Air (version for cello and orchestra).

. « currently unavailable » on Amazon, but worth looking for.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

One more time with the last movement. It's almost a concerto in itself with a 22-minute duration. The cello does emerge from the orchestral texture to telling effect. In the last 6-7 minutes we are suddenly in Rautavaara-Silvestrov, a musical dreamscape of telling beauty. I'm glad I reacquainted myself with this great work. Coupled with more Kernis cello goodies: Musica celestis (cello and strings) and Air (version for cello and orchestra).

. « currently unavailable » on Amazon, but worth looking for.

Silvestrov's work I am unfamiliar with.  Your mentioning of Rautavaara and following comment have intrigued me though.  I'll see if I can find it on youtube. 

EDIT:  I found a clip of Kernis talking about CF, but am not having luck finding the recording with Mork.  Is it on there?

PD

[André]

You might have to look on the secondary market (Discogs, ebay) for the 9-cd set or the original single cd issue.

[Pohjolas Daughter]

You might have to look on the secondary market (Discogs, ebay) for the 9-cd set or the original single cd issue.

I found the Air online (with Mork) and will check that out.  I see Colored Field on yt with other artists.

PD

[Iota]

One more time with the last movement. It's almost a concerto in itself with a 22-minute duration. The cello does emerge from the orchestral texture to telling effect. In the last 6-7 minutes we are suddenly in Rautavaara-Silvestrov, a musical dreamscape of telling beauty. I'm glad I reacquainted myself with this great work. Coupled with more Kernis cello goodies: Musica celestis (cello and strings) and Air (version for cello and orchestra).

I've had another listen too to the whole thing, and there really are some moments of sensational beauty, particularly in the last movement from the apocalyptic moment around the 13.00 mark to the end (but certainly not exclusively there). The middle movement, Pandora Dance (which I mistakenly called Pandora's Box last time ) is so visual for me. I find images of a Petrushka-like ballet whirling up in my mind, with moments of high-octane Bernstein thrown in. AJK has certainly got bags of charisma spilling out of his pen.