Henri Dutilleux; Witold Lutosławski - Cello Concertos (Mstislav Rostropovich)

Information

Composer: Henri Dutilleux; Witold Lutosławski

• Dutilleux - Tout un monde lointain...
• Lutosławski - Cello Concerto

Mstislav Rostropovich, cello

Orchestre de Paris

Serge Baudo & Witold Lutosławski, conductor

Date: 1975 / 2002

Label: EMI

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Review

Mstislav Rostropovich not only is one of the major musical personalities (and most gifted performers) of any era, but he also has enriched the cello repertoire in ways that have completely redefined the importance of the instrument and the artists who play it. He also has inspired virtually every modern composer who has ever worked with him to do their very best work, and these two concertos offer a case in point. Witold Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto charts a course from what can only be called an autistic beginning to a gradually unfolding lyricism and expressiveness. It’s a difficult work, but so intensely communicative is Rostropovich’s view of it that there’s never a moment’s doubt about what the music means and how confidently the composer takes the piece where he wants it to go.

Henri Dutilleux’s evocative concerto “Tout un monde lointain…” charts a course from dreamy introspection to episodes of outright violence, all decked out in luminous orchestration of the utmost transparency and refinement. It goes without saying that Rostropovich’s performance is a commanding one, despite several fine subsequent recordings. The engineers in this piece particularly place him too far forward for optimal balance (the Lutoslawski is better in this respect), but otherwise the recording sounds very fine in this latest remastering. An unexpectedly bold addition to EMI’s Great Recordings of the Century series, this release surely deserves the appellation.

— David Hurwitz

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Henri Dutilleux (22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer of late 20th-century. His works are known for their meticulous craftsmanship, rich textures, and innovative use of orchestration. Dutilleux studied at the Paris Conservatory, and over his long career, he composed a variety of orchestral, chamber and choral works. Among his most famous pieces are Ainsi la nuit (1976) for string quartet, Métaboles (1964) for orchestra, and Symphony No. 2 Le Double (1959). Although Dutilleux's works bore influences of Debussy, Roussel, Ravel, as well as of jazz, he wrote in a highly individual modernist style.

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Witold Lutosławski (25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Educated in Warsaw, he initially drew inspiration from Polish folk music, gaining international recognition with works such as Concerto for Orchestra (1954). From the late 1950s, he developed innovative compositional techniques involving controlled aleatoricism, carefully structured musical materials and distinctive harmonic systems. Despite political pressure under postwar Stalinist rule, Lutosławski maintained his artistic independence. His major works include four symphonies, concertos and chamber compositions.

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Mstislav Rostropovich (27 March 1927 – 27 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor, one of the best-known cellists of the 20th century. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan, he was trained by his parents and at the Moscow Conservatory (1943–48), where he was a professor from 1956. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. Although sometimes criticized for occasional over-romanticism, Rostropovich was admired for his keen musicianship. He was also well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works (over 100 pieces), which enlarged the cello repertoire more than any cellist before or since.

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