Raphael Wallfisch - Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Glazunov: Cello Concertos (1988)

The First Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1949) by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was among the works written for children (Kabalevsky did much to improve musical curricula for the young). The work is of simplicity and gaiety, with some noble and perhaps melancholic writings embedded (mostly in the second movement). The Second Concerto for Cello and Orchestra (1964), at least to an extent, relates to his mournful Requiem (1966) in some of the serious and disturbing passages. The orchestral textures thicken in the Concerto (Saxophone employed) and the cello passages are met with greater demands. In fact, by the 1940s, Kabalevsky's works are more reflective and inward-looking than before, and the Second Concerto strikes me as a work of emotional depth and overwhelming contemplation at the final bars. Hints of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and even Myaskovsky (in darker moods and melancholic passages) are present. But no doubt in my mind that the piece is among the most personal compositions of this important Soviet.
The premiere was performed by Kabalevsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, with dedicatee Daniel Shafran playing the cello. Shafran, who passed on in 1998, gave a thoroughly persuasive and authoritative account in that 1969 performance (later recorded and released by Melodiya). He had such a feel to the work that it became his own identity, with penetrating support provided by Kabalevsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic. Thankfully that original Melodiya recording is reissued by Vanguard Classics. Here, similar praises are warranted in Raphael Wallfisch's performance with Bryden Thomson and the London Philharmonic. Like Shafran, Wallfisch captures the darkness, the seriousness, and the introspective nature of the piece with more or less equal persuasiveness. Thomson's artful and alert pacing is not so different from Kabalevsky's (although a bit majestic in spots). The London Philharmonic is perfectly responsive and supportive under the excellent Chandos' recorded sound. Khachaturian's attractive, tuneful, though sprawling Cello Concerto is likewise very well done by this team with that nice sense of flamboyancy in the projection. Glazunov's charming, soulful Chant du ménestrel (1900) is deeply rendered here. Warmly recommended.