The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande plays Brahms conducted by Vasily Petrenko and accompanied by Kian Soltani in Prokofiev’s Sinfonia concertante for cello.
Prokofiev’s “Cello Concert” faced harsh negativity by Soviet critics in 1938 for its avant-garde tendencies. It underwent a significant rewrite transforming it fifteen years later into the less confrontational “Sinfonia concertante”, deliberately arranged for the young Rostropovich, who would champion it. The work was now less aggressive, and the cello became a soloist part. Brahms harbored a deep affection for Switzerland, viewing it a second homeland he explored for thirty years. Composing several works in our country, his “First Symphony’s finale unmistakably echoes a “Ranz des vaches”, likely inspired by his Alpine walks, just before the slightly transformed theme of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”.
