Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No.1 in E-flat major, Op.107: III. Cadenza (Score and Analysis)

III. Cadenza, without key

The cadenza, in addition to showing the soloist's virtuoso abilities, is the semantic centre of the cycle and the development of all the themes of the concerto. The themes of the cycle occur in a mirror order: first the themes of the second movement, also in reverse order, as if time is moving backwards. This feature gives the first section of the cadence a somewhat somnambulistic character - similar to memories in a dream or at the end of a person's life. The tempo of the cadence gradually speeds up, the theme of the sarabande, the beginning of the slow movement, appears and is actively developed. elements of the middle section of the first movement appear in the Allegretto. And finally, in Allegro, the themes of the first movement return. Shostakovich, as it were, moves back and forth along the vector of time.

00:00 The cadenza begins with a thoughtful and gloomy statement of theme B, reaching the limit of possibilities of the cello's low register. The statement ends with a chain of pizzicato chords. Further, the theme rises in tissetura, becoming more sophisticated with a harmony layer being added , and, rising higher and higher, reaches a peak in cis6. The narrative is also interrupted by a chain of pizzicato chords. This is followed by a variation of theme B, where it is especially interesting to hear how, with the help of a combination of bow and pizzicato notes of the accompaniment, Shostakovich tries to recreate the original texture of theme B` with the cello solo. Without a break, the theme A is developed by adding a conflicting and unstable countermelody. Again, the pizzicato chords close the statement and the cadenza’s first section.

04:47 In the second section the short link leads us to Allegretto, where we start to hear intonations of the first movement themes. Finally, in Allegro 05:24 we get a frenzied solo variation on the Young Guard motif. Piu mosso 05:46 section is transitional between the cadenza and the finale, and contains fast scales runs with dense three-note double stops.

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