Shostakovich- Cello Concertos Nos 1 and 2

It was in Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto that ‘cellist Alisa Weilerstein prompted the Los Angeles Times to marvel: “Weilerstein’s cello is her id... She and the cello seem simply to be one and the same.” Alisa returns with Shostakovich’s cello masterworks – Concertos 1 & 2. Composed for the virtuosic cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, the coupling and contrasting of these two arresting works is irresistible: the anti-heroic, relentless, emotionally suppressed First Concerto set alongside the sarcasm and isolation of the Second. Weilerstein’s interpretation is underpinned by her meeting Rostropovich –a close friend of the composer – when she was 22, playing Shostakovich for him and absorbing his advice and wisdom. Her outstanding rapport with conductor Pablo Heras-Casado and the Symphonieorchester Bayerischen Rundfunks is evident in this new recording.