26. Dvorak Cello Concerto in B minor
The legendary Rostropovich with the Berlin Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan
“High up it sounds nasal, and low down it growls” - Antonin Dvorak describing the sound of the cello.
Welcome back to Building a Classical Music Collection where we are reviewing the top 50 classical recordings of all-time (according to myself of course). Entering our list at number 26 is a truly legendary recording of Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104 with Mstislav Rostropovich on cello accompanied in grand style by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan. The recording dates from 1968, and was made by Deutsche Grammophon.
Antonin Dvorak
Antonin Dvorak (d(ə-)VOR-zha(h)k;) was born in Muhlhausen, Germany (Nelahozeves, Bohemia) in 1841 and died in 1904 in Prague, Czech Republic. Even though his hometown was technically ruled by Germany at the time, the people considered themselves to be Czech. Dvorak was definitely Czech through and through, and proud of his heritage.
Antonin was the eldest of nine children, and the son of a butcher. He was expected to follow his father into the butcher business, but as it happens that was not Antonin’s fate. His first love was always music, and at the age of 16 he asked his father’s permission to pursue a musical career. His father agreed, but with the condition that Antonin study the organ with the practical thought it would provide a living for the young man. Dvorak graduated from the Organ School in Prague, but was barely scraping by playing piano in local establishments. Eventually he landed a job as a violinist at the Provisional Theater, which presented mostly plays and operas in the native Czech language.
In a way, Dvorak came along in the right place at the right time. Being proud of his heritage led to a desire on his part to bring a true Czech idiom to his love of music. At the time, the Germans dominated the music scene across Europe. It is true the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana had made his mark (we reviewed a recording of his great orchestral work Ma Vlast “My Fatherland” earlier in this list), and Dvorak was an admirer of Smetana. Similar to Smetana, Dvorak wanted to bring a more nationalistic flavor to his music. While his early attempts at opera were not successful, Dvorak began to have more success when he began composing other works.
Dvorak married a former piano student of his, Anna Cermakova, and their family began to grow. Tragedy soon befell them, as they lost three young children to various causes within the span of less than two years. The losses were devastating for Dvorak, a devout Catholic. He poured his grief into his composing, and the result was his Stabat Mater from 1877. It became the first real Czech sacred masterpiece, as well as Dvorak’s first major triumph as a composer. He and his wife would go on to have six more children, and would have a happy family life.
From that point on, it seems Dvorak’s creativity exploded with compositions that garnered widespread acclaim. His Symphonic Variations (1877) and the popular Slavonic Dances (1878) soon followed, and then his Serenade in D minor (1878). Other major works would come later, the most well-known being the Violin Concerto (1879), Symphony no. 7 (1885), Symphony no. 8 (1889), Symphony no. 9 “From the New World” (1893, perhaps his most famous work), String Quartet no. 12 “American” (1893), and his last concerto composition the Cello Concerto (1895).
Dvorak began a correspondence with the composer Johannes Brahms in 1878, and a friendship developed that was to enrich the lives of both men. Dvorak is often associated with Brahms, as Brahms himself greatly admired Dvorak’s work. Dvorak’s music often paid tribute to Brahms in terms of mood and structure, and both men had that tremendous gift for melody and orchestration. During the time their careers overlapped, Brahms and Dvorak were considered the two best composers in the world.
In 1891, Dvorak received the unbelievable offer of $15,000 to come to New York City and become the director of the National Conservatory of Music. After a long time deciding, Dvorak finally agreed and they packed up the family and embarked on the long sea voyage to the United States. Upon settling in Manhattan, Dvorak began his time teaching and composing. They enjoyed New York, but the pace of city life was perhaps not the best match for a family that spent most of their evenings at home. Although the family considered going home for summers, another invitation came to Dvorak from Spillville, Iowa of all places. Spillville was a small, almost entirely Czech-speaking village in Iowa. Dvorak was quite comfortable there, and the family felt at home. In hindsight, one might conclude that Dvorak came away from his time in America with an overly positive view of the country, and he may not have been exposed to some of the less bucolic elements.
Besides being very impressed with America in general, Dvorak was also profoundly impacted by his exposure to American folk music during his stay in the United States, and in particular African-American spirituals and Native American music. Although his claims that American folk music was similar to European folk music were not entirely substantiated, his claim that black spirituals and native music could become the basis for all sorts of musical genres was actually born out in the work of composers such as Gershwin and Joplin. Through his teaching and visits to rural America, Dvorak heard a lot of folk music and became fascinated with African-American melodies and themes. He even incorporated some similar sounding melodies into his New World symphony and American quartet. Dvorak attempted to depict some of the idealism and energy of America at the time, while at the same time remaining true to his own style and voice.
After a few years Dvorak and his family returned home. With his reputation solidified, and now financially secure, Dvorak’s last few years were more taken up with teaching and representing the interests of Czech music. Dvorak’s works are some of the most easily enjoyed and accessible pieces in all of classical music. His music is memorable (even “catchy”) and attractive, as well as colorful and vigorous. Dvorak is one of the leading “nationalist” composers by virtue of his use of folk tunes and popular melodies from Bohemia, and by taking those elements and integrating them into the classical genre. Today his music is part of the standard repertoire for orchestras all over the world. For this writer, the middle section of the third movement Allegretto grazioso from Dvorak’s 8th symphony is one of the most sublime sections of music ever composed. The famous Largo from his New World symphony is also among the most beloved and poignant melodies ever written.
Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
Dvorak was still in America when he wrote his final concerto, this one for cello. Despite his aversion to using the cello as the subject for a concerto, he went on to write this masterpiece which became arguably the greatest cello concerto ever written and some would say one of the greatest concertos written for any instrument. There is a story of Dvorak visiting Niagara Falls during his stay in the USA, and upon seeing it declared, “My word, that’s going to be a symphony in B minor.” Although a symphony in B minor never materialized, his soon to be composed cello concerto is indeed in B minor, perhaps owing to that visit to Niagara.
During Dvorak’s time as Director at the National Conservatory in New York, he heard a cello concerto (perhaps no coincidence also in B minor) composed by his teaching colleague composer Victor Herbert. He was so impressed, he was inspired to write his own cello concerto. As it turns out, cellist Hanus Wihan had been asking Dvorak to write him a concerto for years. Dvorak finally had the impetus to do it, and thus began work on the concerto. Between visits home to the Czech Republic and his time in New York, Dvorak began composing and then continued to revise the sketches over the course of about six months, and it was completed in February 1895. Although Wihan was the official dedicatee of the concerto, and it was planned that he would be the first to perform it publicly, circumstances dictated that Wihan was not available for the premiere. In November 1895, the London Philharmonic Society wrote to Dvorak to ask him to conduct a concert in London. Dvorak immediately thought of premiering his cello concerto with Wihan as soloist, but the date chosen had already been set and Wihan had previous obligations. To complicate matters, Wihan had proposed to Dvorak several fairly major edits and changes to the concerto, which Dvorak adamantly rejected. At the concert, the concerto was played by soloist Leo Stern. Wihan remained the work’s dedicatee, and later performed it to great acclaim.
Dvorak wrote to his publishers: “I give you my work only if you will promise me that no one – not even my friend Wihan – shall make any alteration in it without my knowledge and permission, also that there be no cadenza such as Wihan has made in the last movement; and that its form shall be as I have felt it and thought it out.”
The finale, he wrote, should close gradually with a diminuendo "like a breath ... then there is a crescendo, and the last measures are taken up by the orchestra, ending stormily. That was my idea, and from it I cannot recede.”
The concerto is in a pretty standard concerto structure of:
Allegro (B minor then B major; about 15 minutes)
Adagio, ma non troppo (G major; about 12 minutes)
Finale: Allegro moderato — Andante — Allegro vivo (B minor then B major; about 13 minutes)
The work’s duration is about 40 minutes.
Upon reading the final score, his colleague and friend Brahms is reported to have said, “Why on earth didn’t I know that one could write a cello concerto like this? Had I known, I would have written one myself long ago!”
The solo part for cello is certainly demanding, but it is not designed to be a showpiece. Rather the cello is integrated, and the orchestral part is more developed and more important than in some other concertos.
Allen Schrott in the All Music Guide describes the concerto movements:
“The first movement is constructed around two main themes, the first of which is surprisingly brief, and the second of which (stated by solo horn), was one of the composer’s personal favorites. The passing of these ideas back and forth between the soloist and orchestra allows for substantial thematic development; the first, brief theme is given substantially more weight in the eventual recapitulation.
In contrast to the dynamic first movement, the second movement Adagio opens with a more peaceful theme in G major. A middle section in G minor incorporates the melody from Dvorak’s own song, “Leave me alone” - a favorite tune of his sister-in-law, Josefina Kaunitzova, who had taken ill during the concerto’s composition. Dvorak was devoted to her, and her death not long after his return home would cause him to revise the end of the work to include the same song in a lengthy epilogue. The finale (Allegro moderato) is an energetic rondo, followed by an epilogue which recalls the opening movement, as well as the song mentioned above.”
The Recording
Mstislav Rostropovich (b. 1927 Azerbaijan - d. 2007 Moscow) was one of the supreme master soloists of all-time, and for many the greatest cellist ever. Sometimes forgotten is that Rostropovich also began conducting later in his career to some acclaim, directing strongly emotional performances. He began playing the cello at the age of three, and gave his first recital at the age of eight. At 16 he entered the Moscow Conservatory, studying cello and composition. The young Mstislav then became secretary to well-known composer Serge Prokofiev.
After winning the International Competition for Cellists in Prague in 1950, Rostropovich began performing around Russia. He married Galina Vishnevskaya, star soprano of the Bolshoi Opera. Eventually the couple found themselves at odds with the Soviet regime when they had planned a concert tour of the West in 1956. Soviet President at the time, Nikolai Bulganin, was interested in Vishnevskaya romantically and he put a stop to the couple’s planned tour. As it happens, Bulganin lost power to Party Secretary Nikita Khrushchev soon thereafter, and Khrushchev reinstated their tour. Rostropovich performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London, and Carnegie Hall in New York. He was soon hailed as a great international star. Returning to the USSR, Rostropovich suddenly had several composers writing cello works for him, including Shostakovich. Upon hearing him play one of Shostakovich’s concertos, the English composer Benjamin Britten struck up a friendship with Rostropovich which resulted in several masterpieces for cello by Britten.
In 1969 Rostropovich wrote a letter protesting the mistreatment of writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and the letter was widely circulated in the West. It was an embarrassment for the Soviets, and the authorities canceled all of his performances along with expelling Vishnevskaya from the Bolshoi. Finally in 1974 the government granted their request to visit the West, but then exiled them by revoking their Soviet citizenship. As a result Rostropovich’s star continued to rise in the West, and he went on to a major career as both a cellist and conductor. In 1990, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reversed the exile, and later Rostropovich stood with Boris Yeltsin during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
What we can hear on this recording is the rich tone produced by Rostropovich, as well as the ease with which he plays even the most difficult passages. The confidence and power in his playing, along with his mastery of the most subtle details, are heard well in this recording. The range displayed by Rostropovich, along with the emotional intensity of his playing, make this a special recording.
But that is not all, as he is accompanied by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic caught at the height of their artistic time together. This is one of the best recordings Karajan ever made, and that is saying a lot since he and the Berliners recorded a massive discography. The orchestral playing here is epic and dramatic, giving the piece the weight and gravitas it fully deserves. The sound is very good analog for the time period, at times the loudest passages lose some clarity, but the recording location of the Jesus Christus-Kirche in Berlin provides depth and warmth to the sound. A few times I find myself wishing the cello was slightly closer, but overall it is a realistic sound picture.
This is a grand vision of the work, and the performance is captivating. This is a true partnership, with the size of Rostropovich’s personality matched well by that of Karajan and the Berliners. They are equally eloquent in the loudest passages as well as the more lyrical. Prepare for goosebumps. Gramophone said of this recording:
“There have been a number of outstanding recordings of the Dvorák Concerto since this DG record was made, but none to match it for the warmth of lyrical feeling, the sheer strength of personality of the cello playing and the distinction of the partnership between Karajan and Rostropovich. Any moments of romantic license from the latter, who's obviously deeply in love with the music, are set against Karajan's overall grip on the proceedings. The orchestral playing is superb…Rostropovich's many moments of poetic introspection never for a moment interfere with the sense of a spontaneous forward flow. The description 'legendary' isn't a whit too strong for a disc of this calibre.”
Rostropovich recorded the Dvorak concerto no less than four times commercially, but this is certainly the best. In choosing this recording, I went back and listened to many recordings of the Dvorak Cello Concerto. There are many other outstanding recordings. A few of my favorites include:
Pierre Fournier also with the Berlin Philharmonic led by George Szell from 1961 on the Deutsche Grammophon label. Aristocratic and beautiful, Fournier nearly matches Rostropovich in this early stereo recording. Szell in his usual way pushes hard in some parts, but this remains a classic.
Pablo Casals with the Czech Philharmonic led again by George Szell, a recording made in 1937! On Angel/EMI records, now Warner, the sound is not up to modern standards, but still pretty decent for its age. What is captured is a tremendous performance by Casals, vibrant and spontaneous. Szell was young then, and the results are electric.
Alisa Weilerstein with the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Jiri Belohlavek, recorded in 2014 for Decca. The young Weilerstein is brilliant in her technique, but also her feeling for the music. The sound is excellent, and the woodwinds and brass are caught particularly well. One of the best versions of recent years.
Pieter Wispelway with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Ivan Fischer, on Channel Classics. Recorded live in 2007, this brings imaginative and lively playing from Wispelway. Fischer and the Budapest orchestra bring a lot of color and detail to the score. The sound is good for a live recording, though the cello is a bit recessed, but it is transparent and the brass are fantastic.
Jacqueline du Pre and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by the flamboyant and charismatic Sergiu Celibidache, a live recording from 1967 on Teldec (now DG). Du Pre’s brilliant and romantic tone is on full display, and some of her playing here is absolutely breathtaking. The emotion is palpable. Celibidache gives her the space to do as she wishes, and it makes for some very special music-making. The sound is not as clean as you might hear in the studio, but more than adequate.
There you have it my friends, I hope this finds you well and still enjoying your summer! If you like Building a Classical Music Collection, feel free to recommend it to your friends. Happy listening!
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Notes:
Brennan, Gerald. Schrott, Allen. Stevenson, Joseph. Woodstra, Chris. All Music Guide to Classical Music, The Definitive Guide. All Media Guide. Pp. 397, 402-403 1129. Backbeat Books, San Francisco. 2005.
Kraemer, Uwe. Dvorak Violin Concerto and Cello Concerto. Essential Classics. 1990. Sony Classical Liner Notes. Pp. 5-6.
Lunday, Elizabeth. Secret Lives of Great Composers. Antonin Dvorak. Pp. 137-144. Quirk Books, Philadelphia. 2009.
https://en.wikipedia.org/Antonin_Dvorak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabat_Mater_(Dvorak)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cello_Concerto_(Dvorak)
The Gramophone Classical Music Guide. 2010. Online at https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7924179--dvorak-tchaikovsky-works-for-cello-orchestra.