Nikolai Myaskovsky Nikolai Yakovlevich Myaskovsky (; ; 20 April 18818 August 1950), was a Russian and Soviet composer. He is sometimes referred to as the "Father of the Soviet Symphony". Myaskovsky was awarded the Stalin Prize five times. Early years Myaskovsky ...

composed his Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 66, during the years 1944–45. It ranks among the few works of the composer that are found frequently in concert or on recordings.

Background

The concerto was written for Sviatoslav Knushevitsky, one of Myaskovsky's great champions, who premiered it in Moscow on 17 March 1945. The first recording, however, was made by

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

in 1956.

Structure

The concerto is in two

movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...

: #''Lento ma non troppo – Andante – Tempo I'' #''

Allegro Allegro may refer to: Common meanings * Allegro (music), a tempo marking that indicates to playing quickly and brightly (from Italian meaning ''cheerful'') * Allegro (ballet), brisk and lively movement Artistic works * L'Allegro (1645), a poem b ...

vivace – Piu marcato – Meno mosso – Tempo I'' The total duration of the concerto amounts to about 25 minutes. The piece is among the late works of the composer, and among its melodies appear Russian folk songs.

References

;Notes ;Sources * *

External links

* PD-CA only. 1944 compositions Compositions by Nikolai Myaskovsky Myaskovsky Stalin Prize–winning musical compositions {{concerto-stub