Walton Cello Concerto 

Jan 23rd 2016
Cellist: Seulki Lee
Pianist: Charlie Tauber
Walton Cello Concerto(1956) is more introspective than his two earlier concertos (Viola and Violin), with a ticking rhythm throughout the work suggesting the inexorable passage of time. Personally I think it should be more acknowledged and be loved. This piece was commissioned and dedicated to Russian Cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. He did not like the last movement’s quiet ending so Walton wrote revised ending. Regrettably because of his illness, it is unknown to us. The ending of the last movement is a reminiscence of the first movement. For me, he found a quiet and calm yet condensed ending after passionate and condensed 4 cadenzas in order to make the peace with himself after everything in his life. The whole piece is a big long journey and it has cyclic idea between the movements and has an overarching connection as a whole. Going back to first movement Moderato, after the woodwinds mysterious chord, cello comes in with searching quality of sound. It is hesitating and yearning for something and like a mirage in the desert when it gets close, it runs away. The opening intervals come back several times throughout the piece and sometimes it is more certain than the beginning. Allegro appassionato starts with rhythmic pulsation with uplifting energy. This movement has a short cadenza with climax and draw my attention to his world. Desperately reaching out for something but it never reaches. Everything evaporates like a bubble at the end. Theme and improvisations has 4 cadenzas from cello solo and orchestra. It sounds like a cadenza battle between the orchestra in this case piano and cello solo, and going back to the memory together at the end.
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