The opening four-note figure common to both the Cello Concerto and the Symphony-Concerto is also an ostinato in Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, composed in 1935.
Composition History
Prokofiev's Cello Concerto was initially inspired by a request from the 'fine cellist' Gregor Piatigorsky, who wished for Prokofiev to compose a concerto for him.
Critical Reception
Prokofiev's Cello Concerto received an 'unsuccessful premiere' in Moscow, and the composer believed that 'the indifference to it is mere stupidity'.
Composition History
The Symphony-Concerto is a revision of the Cello Concerto, prompted by the young cellist Mstislav Rostropovich's performance of the original work in 1947.
Performer Biography
Alban Gerhardt, a cellist born in Berlin, began playing piano and cello at age eight and launched his career in 1991 with an invitation to play with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
Composition History
The Cello Concerto, after being put aside in 1934, was eventually premiered in Moscow in 1938 with Lev Berezovsky as soloist, after Gregor Piatigorsky had 'slipped out of the reckoning'.
Composition History
The revision of the Cello Concerto into the Symphony-Concerto involved a two-year collaboration and friendship between Prokofiev and Mstislav Rostropovich, with Rostropovich influencing the technical details of the cello part.
