CD notes by Pieter Wispelwey - Shostakovich and Kodaly
What do the Kodoly sonata and Shostakovich's first cello concerto mean to a cellist? Unquestionably they are among the great predators in the zoological garden of cello repertoire. Both pieces are wild and dangerous, but at the same time they derive part of their intensity from a paradox. Their temperament may be savage, but somehow or other they have been forced into their final shapes.
The cage in which Shostakovich imprisons his beast consists, in addition to a rigid form, of dynamic discipline and remarkable indications of tempo. The discipline which Kod·ly imposed on himself comes from the fact that he wrote his many-headed monster of an irritable sonata for a single cello instead of a 300-headed orchestra. This "limitation" results in an overwhelming, gigantic battle expansion of the cello's territory. Never before has the cello been a vehicle for such visions, such lust as in this rhapsody of heroism, vitality, exaltation, and exoticism.
To return to Shostakovich; in the cello concerto, dynamic strategies play a role which is perhaps unobtrusive, but none the less essential. Examples in the first movement are the exposition of the first theme, beginning and ending in 'piano' (example 1) and the distribution of accents in the second thematic group. There, the beginning, the 'fortissimo' shouted two-toned parody of a melody ('the lyrical second subject') is without accents, while the continuation is full of them (example 2).
Although, in the last movement, the cello, except for a witty passage (example 3), plays only 'forte' or 'fortissimo' (a bestial demand, which, however, appeals to the animal side of most cellists including your author), this movement, just like the others, contains ample evidence of dynamic refinement in the accompaniment. All the more exciting are the 'secco fortissimo' salvos from the timpanist, whom I hereby thank for his committed playing.
Shostakovich's metronome markings constitute a chapter in themselves. In the 1959 recording made under the composer's personal supervision, it is fascinating to see how precisely these are obeyed both by Rostropovich and especially by Szell. A spectacular historical document in several respects...
Shostakovich suggests '116' for the half note in the Allegretto. And that is curious, since it is on the moderate side, but it seems to me to promote extra intensity. The association with a high-pressure turbine is only increased as a result.'66' for the second movement indeed results in a Moderato, and therefore lends naivetÈ to the cello's first theme, which then makes an attractive contrast with the more emotional second theme. The '88' for the finale is fantastically quick. It is so fast that the indication for the 3/8 theme (eighth note = eighth note) is unplayable (example 4). The fatal orchestral accidents which the composer must have imagined here will surely have amused him.
In conclusion, the reader will not be surprised that the volcanic aspect of the 'Cadenza' inspired me to combine the concerto with the Kod·ly sonata, presenting these two natural phenomena as a duet.
Pieter Wispelwey, translation: David Shapero