Nicolas Altstaedt is a terrific cellist when he tries to be musical rather than “authentic” (see my review of his gruesome disc of CPE Bach concertos for details). These are excellent performances all around–dashingly played in the allegros, touching and sensitive in the lyrical movements, and effortlessly virtuosic. Some collectors might recall Weinberg’s (Vainberg’s) Cello Concerto from Rostropovich’s premiere recording on Melodiya with Rozhdestvensky. Composed in 1948, the stylistic kinship with Shostakovich is clear; the principal theme of the finale very closely resembles that in the older composer’s Eighth Symphony of five years earlier, but Weinberg still retains his own voice. Much of the work is quite beautiful, with thematic invention of the highest quality, and at more than thirty minutes this is a major statement. Only the quiet ending (I assume) prevents the work from getting more play in concert halls today. Altstaedt deserves credit for giving us what must be accounted the best available modern version.
He’s no slouch in the Shostakovich either, a well-paced interpretation (especially in the Moderato second movement, so often played closer to adagio) that really engages with the orchestra to produce a sometimes bitter, sometimes poingnant, sometimes parodistic, but always expressive dialogue. The finale, in particular, has a sort of desperate gawkiness that sounds exactly right. There are two or three alarming performance noises here and there–a loud click first heard at the entrance of the horn in the first movement–but even in a crowded field this is a version that has no discernible weaknesses and many strengths. The accompaniments under Michal Nesterowicz are really good: considerate but also characterful, while the engineering–those few odd clicks aside–is up to the high standards of the Channel Classics house. Oh yes, Lutoslawski’s adorable Little Suite of folk dances separates the two concertos, and gives conductor and orchestra a moment to shine on their own. I’m not quite sure what it’s doing there, but it works nonetheless.
