Cello Concerto - Peter Mennin

Описание: The Louisville Orchestra conducted by Jorge Mester. Janos Starker as the cello soloist.

I - Allegro moderato: 0:00
II - Adagio: 9:44
III - Allegro vivace: 19:46

Mennin's Cello Concerto was completed in 1956, being commissioned by the Juilliard School of Music Foundation. Premiered in February of the same year, performed the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by J. Morel and with Leonard Rose as the cello soloist. Divided in three movements, the work showcases Mennin's evolution towards a more sober, complex and dissonant language.

The first movement begins with an ambiguous opening, a tutti introduces the work’s main motives, most prominently a short descending gesture. After a brief exposition of these thematic material, the solo cello enters in a grave and expressive manner, elaborating on these ideas. The soloist and orchestra proceed to exchange material and dialogue between each other. The music slowly becomes more tense and dissonant, culminating in an orchestral tutti on the motives interwoven through a dense counterpoint. The cello takes a more frantic pace, becoming more brilliant and virtuosic. After and imposing climax, follows an elaborate and extraordinarily difficult cadenza for the cello soloist, also built from the opening motives. A fade-out coda ends the movement.

The second movement opens with the orchestra presenting a sober but melodic main theme, expressively elaborated upon by the soloist. The English horn appears with the motives from the first movement in counterpoint. The soloist reaches a dissonant climax along with the woods. A more active passage showcases again the soloist brilliance, with references to the motives previously heard. After an expressive climax is reached, follows a nervous and dissonant orchestral passage, culminating in a great anticlimax. The soloist is left ruminating soberly the main theme. The movement ends with a low-key coda.

The third movement begins with an energetic main theme presented by the brass, quickly taken by the soloist in a brilliant quasi-toccata way. Follows an intense development that is also an exciting showcase for the virtuosity of the soloist, with much rapid byplay between cello and orchestra. This continuous moto perpetuo leads us to a powerful orchestral climax. The soloist leads us to the coda, that ends the whole work powerfully.

Picture: "Dynamic Duo - Cello and Scroll" by the Canadian painter Susanne Clark.

Musical analysis partially written by myself. Source: https://bit.ly/3v0SN8y

Unfortunately the score is not available.