Rodion Shchedrin’s music resists easy classification. Even during the glory days (such as they were) of the Soviet Union he managed to remain very much his own man, with a distinctive artistic voice. Still, like so many other Russian composers, the principal emotion his post-Soviet music expresses is sadness. With Shchedrin, though, however dark the sonic landscape, his innately lyrical style, his love of nature, of folk music, his very “Russian-ness” always peeps through. This magnificent Cello Concerto very clearly demonstrates the truth of these observations. The moderately paced first two movements produce an impression similar to the opening Nocturne of Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto. There’s the same bittersweet lyricism, the same desolation, and it’s all beautifully written for the soloist. The third movement cleverly combines the functions of scherzo and cadenza, and leads to an eruptive finale that gradually dissolves into a haunting, pastoral coda. Cellist Marko Ylönen offers a huge range of sonority and very nimble fingers, from the richly lyrical outpourings of the second movement to the feather-light textures of the scherzo. He’s perfectly accompanied by Olli Mustonen and the Helsinki Philharmonic. Shchedrin’s Seagull Suite (arranged from the full-length ballet score) also spends much of its time exploring the darker side of Chekhov’s tragic “comedy”, and makes a fine filler, but it’s the Cello Concerto that will keep you coming back again and again. [12/27/2000]
