CD Review (USA) March 1993
Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations (original version)
NICOLAI MIASKOVSKY Cello Concerto in C Minor Op. 66
SHOSTAKOVICH Adagio (from “The Limpid Stream”)
TCHAIKOVSKY Variations on a Rococo Theme Op. 33; Nocturne in D Minor
Julian Lloyd Webber (cello); London Symphony, Maxim Shostakovich
PHILIPS 434 106-2 1992, 63:48
Nicolai Miaskovsky wrote tons of music, and although some of it is not very interesting in a thematic sense, this gorgeous concerto is a real find. The opening, an elegiac and expansive slow movement, shows the hand of a master in virtually every bar. The entrance of the solo, accompanied by smooth-toned clarinets, is darkly memorable, as is the oboe counterpoint to the cello’s gradual ascent into the welcoming embrace of the upper strings and horns. The ensuing “Scherzo” features a tune that sounds almost English in its modal inflections, though it’s the finale, with its deeply poetic, quiet ending, that undoubtedly keeps this work out of the repertoire. No virtuoso showmanship here, but virtuoso musicianship in abundance. The same might be said of Julian Lloyd Webber’s performance – simple, direct, unaffected, but never unaffectionate. It draws you in and grips you from first note to last.
In the Tchaikovsky variations played as the composer wrote them, correct in order and number Lloyd Webber refuses to drool over the music the way many cellists do (even Rostropovich preferred comparative restraint). The result is perfectly in character a more nostalgic, wistful journey back in musical time than we sometimes get. Although the shorter items make attractive encores, the selections are perhaps best enjoyed separately not as a complete program heard at one sitting.
Maxim Shostakovich proves himself a tine accompanist, and Philips’ sound is outstandingly rich and well balanced.
David Hurwitz
