Gulda Meets Shostakovich

Featuring

Rudolf Piehlmayer
Friedrich Kleinhapl
Wiener Concert-Verein
Friedrich Gulda
Dmitri Shostakovich

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Album & Artwork

This recording is dedicated to Heidrun Maya Hagn, the wife of cellist Friedrich Kleinhapl, who developed its concept and musical program.

Performer Biography

Friedrich Kleinhapl, the cellist on this recording, made his international breakthrough in 2007 with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, who called him 'one of the most promising talents of his generation'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Shostakovich, like Gulda, was open to all music, stating, 'I am open to all music, from Bach to Offenbach.'

Composer Biography

In 1927, Shostakovich won a 100-rouble bet by orchestrating 'Tea for Two' from the musical 'No, No, Nanette' in just 45 minutes, which became a hit as 'Tahiti Trot'.

Historical Context

In 1934, Stalin, despite his generals being jazz fans, established a jazz commission to encourage 'professional jazz' that was 'controlled and free of any decadent Western manifestations'.

Compositional Technique

Friedrich Gulda's Cello Concerto blends classical conventions with rock and jazz elements, incorporating a Mozartian idyll, a Baroque minuet, and village music.

Critical Reception

At its premiere in the 1980s, Gulda's Cello Concerto was met with outrage by some critics, who considered it a 'musical fart' for mixing art and entertainment music.