Cello Concerto in B minor,
Op. 104 by Antonin Dvorák, edited by Kalus Doege. Breitkopf
& Hartel (www.brreitkopf.com) €15
At the world premiere of
Antonín Dvorák's Violoncello Concerto in London in 1896
(with Leo Stern as soloist and conducting the London Philharmonic),
the Musical Times wrote, "We are by no means certain that
this Violoncello Concerto will become a favorite. Dvorák has
written soli that are covered up a good deal and eclipsed in interest
by the orchestra." These doubts and reservations have since been
dispelled. The first performance was, in fact, a huge success and the
concerto has become one of the most important and beloved in the cellist's
repertoire.
Now, at the threshold of
the 100th anniversary of Dvorák's death (on May 1), German music
publisher Breitkopf & Hartel offers several important works by the
great Czech composer. Among these are the New World Symphony, the Slavonic
Dances, Op. 46, and the Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, newly edited
by Klaus Doege with the solo part arranged and annotated by Heinrich
Schiff.
Dvorák began writing
the Cello Concerto in New York in November 1894 and completed it upon
returning to his beloved Bohemia the following year. There he reworked
and revised the piece together with his friend Hanus Wihan, the Prague
cello virtuoso.
In spite of Wihan's assistance,
Dvorák had differences of opinion with his cellist friend and
ultimately instructed his publisher to print the cello concerto exactly
as he wished–with no changes or additions of any kind. (Dvorák
felt that it widely surpassed both his violin and piano concertos.)
The first edition of this piece was published by Simrock in 1896, following
a great surge in creative activity that produced the symphonies, a string
quintet, the "American" String Quartet, and the Violin Sonatina,
Op. 100.
This concerto masterpiece
is beloved by all cellists for its inimitable stream of melody, harmonic
boldness, and magical instrumental effects. There is great nobility;
there is wit and rhythmic bounce, and eloquence that mark the composer
at the zenith of his powers.
The solo cello part is extraordinarily
rich in lyricism and tonal and harmonic colors, and the orchestral part
alternately blends with the cello and acts as a perfect harmonic foil
to it. Some additional musical quotes and allusions were influenced
by the death of Josefina Kounicova, his sister-in-law and one-time piano
pupil. Her theme is heard in the heart-rendingly lovely slow movement
and is a variant of Josefina's favorite Dvorák song, "Leave
Me Alone to My Dreams." (Her theme returns once again in the nostalgic
violin solo towards the end of the Finale.)
In this handsome new edition,
Doege has brought together the fruits of his research—evaluating
both the autograph and the first edition and the many discrepancies.
A preface by Doege outlines the history of this concerto. A critical
commentary detailing sources and discussing changes (denoted in bar
numbers) is given at the end of both the piano reduction and the full
score. Both the preface and commentary are in considerably longer versions
in the full score. (While the prefaces are in German and English, the
commentary in both cases is in German only, which is a pity.)
The piano reduction (written
by Dvorák himself) has been edited for the first time according
to text-critical criteria. The renowned cellist Heinrich Schiff prepared
the solo part and provides valuable advice regarding bowing, fingering,
and dynamics in his commentary on performance practice. These notes
come in the form of a single loose page for easy access when reading
through the solo part. It would be practical to have a fly-cover on
the solo cello part similar to that of the piano reduction.
The solo part is spaciously
laid out with well-organized page turns at tutti points (with one exception
at page 13). However, this work is usually performed from memory. Schiff's
phrasing closely follows the source edition but he is also pragmatic
in his slurring and fingering suggestions.
Alternative performance
suggestions are made in a few places (mostly in the first movement)
and are printed above the stave. The piano reduction contains orchestral
symbols denoting the instrumentation and is unusually expansive, with
only four lines per page.
There are numbered bars
throughout, although it would be helpful to have larger numerals in
bold in the score to lessen the conductor's task of "search and
find" when rehearsing.
The publishers have chosen
smooth matte buff-colored paper throughout each part to make the music
easier to read.
Breitkopf & Hartel is
preparing further orchestral editions for the Dvorák Year 2004
anniversary celebration.
Practice Is a Dirty Word:
How to Clean Up Your Act, by Ruth Bonetti, Words & Music (www.ruthbonetti.com),
106 pp., $14.50 plus $6 shipping.
The dictionary definition
of the word "practice" is "to do habitually." Not
perhaps the best or most inspiring description when applied to music.
Practice Is a Dirty Word rescues you from the humdrum of practice.
It encourages students to work smart and achieve results within a realistic
time frame, by exploding the myth that practice makes perfect and focusing
on success at each level and age group. Bonetti's philosophy is that
music making should be enjoyable; practice should be fun. She offers
hundreds of tips for how to plan practice time, fix weak spots, enliven
scale work, and enjoy success at exams and recitals. The practice of
music is a wondrous journey that teaches young people discipline, creativity,
and self-reliance, and enhances all other facets of their lives.
—M.N.
Cesare
Candi, Liutista, by Alberto Giordano,
Cremona Books, €140.
Alberto Giordano is a violin
maker who lives and works in Genoa. Since 1994, he has been collaborating
with the town of Genoa for the preservation of "Il Cannone,"
the famous violin made by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù (1743) and
played by Paganini, who bequeathed the instrument to the city of Genoa.
Giordano has devoted himself to the study of Italian violin making in
general, and 19th-century Genoese maker Cesare Candi in particular.
"When I met Corrado
Gritti Candi, Cesare Candi's grandson, and our friendship grew, the
idea of a monograph on his grandfather was born—this
book is the result," he has noted. "It is dedicated not only
to one of the finest modern Italian violin makers but also to Genoa.
. . . In reading these pages and looking at the pictures I hope the
reader will catch the flavor of a time and place that was full of life
and music, work and social change."
The book depicts the social
scene in Genoa at the time of Cesare Candi, his life, and his work with
many illustrations both color and black and white, as well as beautiful
color photographs of his instruments (violins, guitars, violas d'amore).
—Patricia
Kaden
