Concerto No. 1

Shostakovich composed his two cello concertos for his close friend Mstislav Rostropovich. The first contribution to this genre was presented in 1959 and immediately conquered its place in the repertoire as one of the most effective concertos for the cello. The first movement is bitingly satirical and revolves around the vulgar folk song „Birdie, Birdie“, while the emotional slow movement contains echoes of Modest Mussorgsky, one of Shostakovich's favorite composers. The finale alternates uninterruptedly between stormy seriousness and humorous laughter. This piano reduction, arranged by Rostropovich, has been revised and improved in line with the New Complete Edition and tested in orchestral practice.