What might be seen
as perhaps a curious coupling is vindicated
by the searing intensity of both performances.
Rozhdestvensky’s affinity with the sheer
energy of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony
is here viscerally documented in a performance
that shows just what the Leningraders
are made of.
No doubt as to venue,
either, with acres of ‘space’ around
Tchaikovsky’s fateful fanfares that
blaze fiercely before Rozhdestvensky
calms things down to the most suspenseful
silence. And how miraculously the strings
creep in at 1’25. Yet the momentum is
not disturbed a jot. The miracle of
this performance is that within Rozhdestvensky’s
far-sighted interpretative approach,
there is so much to enjoy from the orchestra’s
individual players. Try the clarinet
at 5’06, which positively drips with
character. Rozhdestvensky is not afraid
to take us into the world of the ballet
at times; he is even less afraid to
drag us out of that cosy place. Brass
play preternaturally together, and have
you ever heard the like of the trombones
at 12’09, I wonder? Thunderous and ominous,
they seem to come from a world beyond
and are enough to instil fear into the
heart of the most ardent anti-Tchaikovskian.
Rozhdestvensky consistently sheds new
light on orchestral shadings; only at
the end of this first movement is there
a suspicion that the brass are pushing
the conductor forwards, not the other
way around (17’33 onwards).
There is a goodly gap
between the movements (some seventeen
seconds), but it could be argued it
is a necessarily long one after the
Russified Sturm und Drang of
the massive opening statement. The acidic
oboe that opens the ‘Andantino in modo
di canzone’ is entirely characteristic
of its geographic origin. It is what
happens when it finishes that is really
interesting, however, and the strings
take the melody. Rozhdestvensky, however,
foregrounds the clarinet counter-melody
(in Schoenbergian terminology, the melody,
or Hauptstimme, becomes the Nebenstimme).
The result is, unpredictably, almost
unutterably beautiful.
Far from seeing this
movement as an interlude, Rozhdestvensky
thinks more in monumental terms, his
pacing providing gripping results towards
the end. All of which contrasts with
the third movement which really is a
visitor from the Bolshoi Ballet, with
woodwind tripping along as gaily as
can be (and listen to just how nimble
that famous piccolo line is at 2’33-2’35!).
The finale begins with
an explosion of light and, in terms
of sheer voltage, is as electric as
the best of them. There is a sag in
momentum around 2’40, though, where
brass are not as bullet-like as the
score would seem to demand. Yet this
is high-octane Tchaikovsky and the Prommers’
screams and yells at the very end (which
begin before the music has finished)
are for once justified.
Rostropovich exudes
supreme confidence right from the very
first four-note statement of the Shostakovich
First Cello Concerto. Rozhdestvensky
accompanies perfectly. He is right there
with his soloist, always (and listen
to the impatience of the string figures
around the one minute mark!). Spiky
woodwind, with very cuttingly-toned
clarinet around 2’25, overlay an acidic
edge to proceedings. The solo horn with
Russian vibrato is excellent, centring
every note in the important horn/solo
cello duet. Rostropovich saws away enthusiastically
in his ‘accompaniment’, taking over
the high melodic line with searing intensity.
Rostropovich converts
his cello into a sort of stringed voice
in the Moderato (the concerto’s longest
movement), bringing a real sense of
stillness, and some icy harmonics towards
the end. The Cadenza is gripping from
first note to last; even more so than
on the DVD of the same cellist in this
work, with the London Symphony Orchestra
under Charles Groves on EMI Classic
Archive DVA4901209 (Review).
Marvellously raw and energetic woodwind
at the beginning of the finale set in
motion a helter-skelter ride made all
the more nightmarish by a shrieking
piccolo. Rozhdestvensky lays the orchestral
canvas bare here, and the effect is
most disturbing. Perhaps the very ending
lacks the last ounce of climactic bite,
but nevertheless this is a memorable
account.
This remarkable disc
will bring many rewards. Repeated listening
has already brought new insight to the
fore each time.
Colin Clarke
bMstislav Rostropovich (cello) 