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How difficult is it to play the cello? – Case study of Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125

How difficult is it to play the cello? –Prokofiev’s concerto symphonies A series of previous articles have described the technical demands placed on the cello by different concertos. It is true that the more difficult the movement, the more demanding it is for the cellist, but the more it allows the musician to shine on…

Concerto for Cellists (3): Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D minor

The two concertos introduced in the last two reviews were written with a deliberately complex and difficult technique – double notes, undulating dances, and rapid movements between registers all allow the cello player to express the emotion of the piece with great virtuosity. Today I would like to talk about a very different kind of…

Concerto for Cellist (I): Rostropovich

The music of Eastern Europe that we have shared with our readers over the past month is also related to the composers of the region. In addition to this, there are many other outstanding cello players in Eastern Europe, perhaps one of them being Mstislav Rostropovich. Rostropovich was born in Baku, in the former Soviet…

Eastern European Cello Music(3): Kabalevsky

In the last two editions of the Eastern European Cello Music series, we have introduced two works of cello music by musicians from small Eastern European countries, but what about the great country of Russia? This time we would like to talk about Dmitri Kabalevsky, whose musical and educational achievements have influenced the future generations…

Eastern European Cello Music: About Aram Il’yich Khachaturian

Eastern European countries have always had a special sense of history, with their unique architecture, the turmoil between the Tsars and the former Soviet Union, and the emergence of small countries with their own unique cultural icons. Next, we would like to share with you a series of Eastern European composers and their cello works.…

Revisiting the Classics: Orpheus de Euridice #2

“Orpheus and Eurydice” was originally a Greek tragedy, where the characters’ fates were full of twists and turns, relying on dialogue to convey their actions. The plot also includes a chorus narrating the scene transitions. Gluck’s brilliance in his creation lies in his abandonment of the pursuit of flashy techniques. He transformed the different tensions…