Vorlage:Cleanup Vorlage:Wikify The Cello Concerto in D minor is the only cello concerto written by Édouard Lalo. He wrote it in 1877, and it was inspired by Camille Saint-Saëns's Cello Concerto in A minor. Vorlage:Fact
This work is considered to be a “standard” cello concerto, but it is less well known than the Dvorak, Elgar, and Schumann concertos that are sometimes placed in this category. Lalo's concerto is an excellent work that is often overshadowed by other great concertos.
Movements
There are three movements:
- Prelude, lento - Allegro maestoso
- Intermezzo, andantino con moto - Allegro presto - Andantino - Tempo I
- Introduction, andante - Allegro vivace
The first movement opens with a lento and shapes into an allegro maestoso, which continues throughout the rest of the movement. The opening has several measures of orchestral music before the solo cello makes its powerful debut. The same opening phrase is repeated several times throughout the movement, though starting on different notes. The slow tempo, set at dotted quarter, equal to 56 by the Bärenreiter edition of the concerto, is often subject to change due to marked "accelerandos" speeding up the tempo and "ad libitum"s, “with liberty,” that stretch and compress the phrases. The allegro maestoso section of the first half is much longer than the opening lento section. The lento feeling comes back for a few phrases during the allegro maestoso section leading into a docissimo section that carefully blends back into the allegro tempo.
The end of the first movement contains a large section of arpeggiated sixteenth note runs that are very quick and of difficulty. The runs are arpeggiated, playing broken scales in intervals of thirds and fourths. The first movement has a dramatic coda setting the stage for the rest of the concerto.
The second movement is overall much lighter in feeling than the first movement. It starts with an andantino section that is slow and melancholy, but progress into a lively allegro presto and returns back to the andantino tempo which not only changes the tempo, but the mood and feel of the music. Before the end of the second movement, the allegro presto returns and gives the movement a light and happy conclusion. The opening passage, or group of phrases, is marked “espressivo” which means that it is to be played with a great deal of expression and emotion. The passage starts out with a soft piano and gradually increases in volume into a strong but still melancholy forte. There is only a taste of that forte, for it is quickly subdued into a piano marked “dolce” or sweetly. The allegro presto opens with a long sustained low G sustained from the final cadence of the last passage of the opening andantino section. The note suddenly changes after three and a half measures into a lively, carefree section that lasts until the andantino is brought back. The second andantino section has more dynamic contrast. Its lowest pianos are just as soft but the loud fortissimo shows itself where it did not during the opening andantino section. The change back to the final allegro presto section is much more rapid than the first time it moves from andantino to allegro presto. There is no long sustained note, it trills quickly into the section. The melody of the second allegro presto is very much similar to the first allegro presto passage. The solo cello ends on pizzicato, or plucked, chords with the orchestra.
The third movement opens with a slow andante cello solo; the orchestra joins in and then takes over as the movement progresses into a lively rondo marked allegro vivace, meaning fast and vivacious. The cello solo comes back in with a forceful entry into the theme of the rondo. The rest of the movement continues at allegro vivace tempo. There are crescendos and decrescendos that are added, to increase interest, as well as musicality markings such as appassionato, dolce, con fuco, and appassionato. The end features a series of runs reminiscent of finale the first movement. The solo cello ends around five measures before the orchestra. The finale is fortissimo and there are several accerandos leading up to the truly grand climax of the concerto.
Summary
Although it is not widely recorded, many fine versions are available. The Lalo Cello Concerto should not be overlooked in favor of pieces written by more famous composers, as it is a grand work.
External links
- Free recording by the Columbia University Orchestra.
- Lalo Cello Concerto: Noten und Audiodateien im International Music Score Library Project