Peter Wispelwey, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky - Prokofiev: Sinfonia Concertante, Tcherepnin: Suite for Cello, Crumb: Sonata for Cello (2018) [SACD]

The Concerto Symphony Op.125 by Sergeï Prokofiev was composed for cellist Mstislav Rostropovitch, who first performed it in Moscow in 1952 under the direction of Sviatoslav Richter. Alexander Tcherepnin wrote his Suite for Solo Cello in Paris in 1946. “Full of Chinese influences, it uses the pizzicato technique throughout its two movements,” remarks Clemens Romjin in his introductory text. Published in 1958, the Solo Cello Sonata by the American George Crumb is made up of three movements, that is a Fantasy, Variations, and a Toccata. The cellist Pieter Wispelwey is, once again, in total harmony with these three composers, and his playing offers the perfect mix of inspiration that is both profound and spontaneous, as is Prokofiev’s score, which he describes as such: “Prokofiev was a musical polyglot. His Concerto Symphony is a continent without borders, a trip through style, language, time and tradition, like post-modernism before post-modernism, savage, classic, exotic, frenzied, surprising, and of course Russian.” Here then is an impressive SACD, with a delightful combination of works, that cannot be ignored.