Kapustin & Schnittke: Cello Concertos

Featuring

Eckart Runge
Frank Strobel
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Nikolai Kapustin
Alfred Schnittke

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Composer Biography

Alfred Schnittke, through his German parents, had ties to the German-speaking world from childhood, receiving piano lessons in Vienna in 1946.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Nikolai Kapustin stated that he was never a jazz musician and did not care for improvisation, but used jazz elements in his compositions, which he wrote down to make them 'mature'.

Recording & Production

This album features the world premiere recording of Nikolai Kapustin's Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 85, which was recorded in 2018 with Eckart Runge and the RSB Orchestra Berlin.

Composer Biography

Nikolai Kapustin, born in 1937 in eastern Ukraine, was a successful jazz pianist, arranger, and composer even before completing his studies at the Moscow Conservatory.

Historical Context

Both Nikolai Kapustin and Alfred Schnittke were Russian composers of the same generation, whose individual artistic development was significantly shaped by the political background of their lives.

Compositional Technique

Eckart Runge, the cellist on this recording, describes Kapustin's First Cello Concerto as a 'world trip for the cello', combining elements of symphonic concerto, solo performance, jazz trio, and big band.

Composition History

Alfred Schnittke's Cello Concerto No. 1 was commissioned by the City of Munich for the inauguration of the Gasteig Cultural Centre and premiered by Natalia Gutman in 1986.