Cello Concerto No. 2; Concerto grosso No. 2

by Alfred Schnittke

Cello Concerto No. 2; Concerto grosso No. 2 cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: May 1992
  • Label: Sony Classical
  • Country: Russia
  • Length: 1:18:21
  • Community rating: 4.13/5 from 3 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Featuring legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, to whom the work is dedicated, this recording perfectly captures the devastating emotional weight of Schnittke's later compositions. The 'Cello Concerto No. 2' is a massive, intensely pessimistic piece, scored for a gigantic orchestra that frequently engages in violent, dissonant outbursts against the solo instrument. The album stands as a towering, definitive achievement in late-20th-century Russian classical music.

Genres

Descriptors: complex, technical, avant-garde, orchestral, strings, dissonant, long-form

Tracklist

  1. I. Moderato (attacca) (4:03)
  2. II. Allegro (attacca) (10:19)
  3. III. Lento (attacca) (9:39)
  4. IV. Allegretto vivo (attacca) (4:51)
  5. V. Grave (16:26)
  6. I. Andantino - Allegro (6:11)
  7. II. Pesante (leading into) (9:20)
  8. III. Allegro (leading into) (5:31)
  9. IV. Andantino (11:57)

Credits

  • Torleif Thed茅en - primary artist, cello
  • Oleg Krysa - primary artist, violin
  • Lev Markiz - primary artist, conductor
  • Alfred Schnittke - Primary Artist
  • Malm枚 Symphony Orchestra - Primary Artist

More from Alfred Schnittke: full discography