Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77 (1964)

Dedicated to Daniil Borisovich Shafran

Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 77, was composed in 1964 and dedicated to the cellist Daniil Shafran, who premiered it that same year.

Departing from the traditional concerto form, the Second Cello Concerto alters the usual sequence of movements by adopting an unusual ‘slow–fast–slow’ structure, a choice influenced by Kabalevsky’s teacher, Nikolai Miaskovsky. The opening movement, marked ‘Molto sostenuto – Allegro molto e energico’, and the final movement, marked ‘Andante con moto – Allegro agitato – Molto tranquillo’, frame a central fast movement, ‘Presto marcato’. Furthermore, all the movements are played attacca, flowing into one another without interruption.

The work is characterised by a raw emotional expression that departs from the Soviet tradition, a stylistic break rarely seen in Kabalevsky’s output, particularly amongst his works composed under the USSR regime. Through its lyrical melodies, supple rhythms and unconventional harmonic shifts, this piece reflects Kabalevsky’s unique legacy within the history of Soviet music.

1. Molto sostenuto · Allegro molto ed energico · Con fuoco ·Con fuoco · Tempo I · Cadenza Tempo I . Più mosso. Con fuoco · Sostenuto ·Allegro molto agitato attacca
2. Presto marcato · Cadenza L’istesso tempo (ben ritmico) · Molto sostenuto attacca
3. Andante con moto · Tranquillo · Allegro · Agitato · Tempo I (Andante con moto) · Tranquillo · Allegro · Agitato · Con moto · Molto tranquillo