Dvorak Cello Concerto
When you think of the genre of the concerto, you might be thinking of something like this: virtuoso fireworks, perhaps over romantic gestures designed simply to show the soloist off, and a rather pedestrian orchestral part, giving the soloist all of the spotlight while the conductor and orchestra are mere accompanists. \xa0Of course, this is a huge generalization and it isn\u2019t true about many concertos. \xa0But of all of the concertos that I conduct regularly, and hear regularly, there is one that always stands out as the exception to the rule: Dvorak\u2019s Cello Concerto. \xa0The Dvorak deserves every bit of popularity it has received over the years. In fact, you could argue that it is THE perfect concerto.\xa0 It's enjoyable to play, perfectly written for the cello, enjoyable to listen to, and enjoyable to accompany for the orchestra. It has everything, which makes it all the more shocking to think that before Dvorak wrote the piece, he didn\u2019t even think of the cello as a suitable instrument for a solo piece! \xa0 But once convinced of the cello\u2019s viability as a solo instrument, Dvorak gave everything to to the piece. We\u2019ll talk all about the sometimes tragic history behind the writing of the concerto, the specific difficulties it places on the cellist, the conductor, and the orchestra, and of course, go through the piece in detail, pointing out all the different facets that result in the Dvorak being perhaps the greatest of all concertos. Join us!
Cellist: Miklos Perenyi\xa0