Khachaturian Cello Concerto, RusLan Biryukov & Grant Sevdayan, Huntington Beach Symph.
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Khachaturian Cello Concerto, RusLan Biryukov & Grant Sevdayan, Huntington Beach Symph. @bestcello
0:00 Intro
0:28 I. Allegro moderato
14:58 II. Andante sostenuto
23:06 III. Allegro a battuta
33:27 Encore. Popper: Etude No.20
A Rediscovery of Soviet Masterpieces: Khachaturian’s Cello Concerto
The year 1948 - just three years after the end of World War II - found Soviet composers ensnared in the ideological purges of Stalin’s regime, accused of so-called “formalistic tendencies” in a sweeping condemnation of artistic individuality. This era of political suppression and cultural silencing led to the neglect of numerous extraordinary works, now being revived for modern audiences by the Huntington Beach Symphony, under the baton of Maestro Grant Sevdayan, with cellist RusLan Biryukov.
Tonight, we present a historic live recording of the American premiere of Khachaturian’s Cello Concerto (1946), which took place on March 10, 2024 - the first of two landmark premiere concerts last season. It is a rare privilege to witness the inaugural performance of a masterwork by a true classic, even if it arrives more than half a century after its creation. The thumbnail poster is the original artwork from the premiere performances (credit Ravi Lynn).
Composed in the immediate aftermath of the war and dedicated to the esteemed cellist Sviatoslav Knushevitsky - whose wife, a celebrated prima donna of the Bolshoi Theatre, was among Stalin’s favorites - this nearly 40-minute concerto, infused with jazz elements officially banned in the Soviet Union, stands as a striking bridge between Myaskovsky’s Cello Concerto and Kabalevsky’s First. Notably, it precedes Prokofiev’s decision to title his own work Sinfonia Concertante rather than Concerto, reflecting the shifting artistic landscape of the era.
*HD video setting recommended for streaming.
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