Released here for the first time are two live recordings with the internationally renowned cellist Lynn Harrell, a consummate collaborator with the RLPO and Gerard Schwarz. Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto by its very name acknowledges the complex writing for the orchestra which vies with the solo cello in a contest of virtuosity. The work was written for Mstislav Rostropovich, as was the Second Cello Concerto by Shostakovich, who greatly admired his older colleague’s earlier work, hence the echoes in the concerto’s three-movement structure with a sardonic scherzo in the middle. The coupling of these two works is unique.
"...Harrell and Schwarz take a romantically indulgent view of the music, and why not? For it is an indulgent piece, and extremes of tempo and phrasing are not inappropriate. While this may not be the top recommendation in this music (still Rostropovich, surely), it is a generous coupling of two masterworks, both of which are delivered in performances of distinction and personality." Terry Barfoot
