Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia NOSPR
Dmitri Shostakovich
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Performer Biography
Maria Kliegel, the cellist on this recording, won the Grand Prix in the Rostropovich Competition in 1981 and later studied with Janos Starker.
Composition History
Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2 was dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich and premiered at a concert celebrating the composer's sixtieth birthday.
Compositional Technique
The Cello Concerto No. 1 includes a quotation from 'Suliko,' Stalin's favorite song, which Shostakovich had previously used in a private satire on Soviet officialdom.
Historical Context
Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was condemned in Pravda in 1936, likely at Stalin's instigation, leading to the withdrawal of his Fourth Symphony.
Composer Biography
Dmitry Shostakovich, the composer, entered the Petrograd Conservatory at age thirteen and helped support his family by working as a cinema pianist.
Composition History
Shostakovich wrote his Cello Concerto No. 1 in 1959 for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who memorized the score in four days.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Shostakovich learned to wear a 'public mask' to survive Soviet strictures without sacrificing his artistic integrity, often leading a double life.
