Schnittke's Cello Concerto No. 1 features a cadenza in the third movement that pairs the cello with a harpsichord, creating a raucous and ironic effect.
Performer Biography
Dennis Russell Davies, the conductor, has a long-standing admiration for Alfred Schnittke's music, which has played a major role in his development as a musician and music director.
Recording & Production
This recording of Schnittke's Cello Concerto No. 1 was captured live at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany, on September 17, 2023.
Composition History
Alfred Schnittke, the composer, suffered a stroke while contemplating his Cello Concerto No. 1, with his heart stopping three times.
Compositional Technique
The Cello Concerto No. 1 opens with the solo cello quoting a four-note leitmotif from Brahms' Sonata Op. 38, a nod to Brahms' birthplace, Hamburg, where Schnittke was a professor.
Recording & Production
The performers chose to release the live recording of the concerto, believing it better captured the "vulnerable humanity" of the composer's autobiographical testament.
Composition History
Schnittke's Cello Concerto No. 1 was initially conceived as a three-movement work, but he added a fourth movement after waking from a coma.
