- Shopping Cart
-
- Wish List
- Store Locator
Prokofiev and Shostakovich:Violin Concertos
November 08, 1994
From All Music Guide: Recording place:Abbey Road Studio,London
This award-winning disc features the prodigious talent of 20-year-old Maxim Vengerov, the clarity of interpretation of 67-year-old Mstislav Rostropovich, and two brilliant concertos by the two greatest Russian composers of the 20th century. Vengerov plays a 1727 "Reynier" Stradivarius violin in both works, and the total effect is wondrous.
Prokofiev's brittle Violin Concerto No. 1 was written before the Russian revolution which upended his life; it is free spirited and deliciously daring. Vengerov brings out all the abandon the youthful Prokofiev crafted into the piece, even injecting zest into the sour, sawing, second-movement scherzo. The finale becomes lyrical, and Vengerov's tone sings in grand style before spiraling off to a celestial ending.
In direct contrast to the free-spirited enthusiasm of the Prokofiev concerto, the Violin Concerto No. 1 of Shostakovich, written in secret at the height of Stalin's oppression, is menacing and en...
![]() |
![]() |
|
|---|---|---|
| 1. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19: I. Andantino | Listen | Listen |
| 2. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19: II. Scherzo. Vivacissimo | Listen | Listen |
| 3. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19: III. Finale. Moderato | Listen | Listen |
| 4. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 1. Nocturne: Moderato | Listen | Listen |
| 5. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 2. Scherzo: Allegro | Listen | Listen |
| 6. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 3. Passacaglia: Andante cadenza | Listen | Listen |
| 7. Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (published as Op. 99): 4. Burlesque: Allegro con brio | Listen | Listen |
Performer:
Maxim Vengerov
Composers:
Dmitry Shostakovich, Sergey Prokofiev
Conductor:
Mstislav Rostropovich
Ensemble:
London Symphony Orchestra
Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide ®, a registered Trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.




