Συναυλία για βιολοντσέλο και πιάνο

While most composers were abandoning tonality and rejecting tradition during the first half of the 20th Century, Martinu and Shostakovich could both be labeled as post-romantic composers. Far from being nostalgic, conservative nor "anti-modern", both were simply having other concerns. Martinu believed strongly in an extended tonality and reached an admirable balance between late romanticism, bohemian lyricism and popular influences. Shostakovich, who proved to be a very experimental composer in his early works, was later urged to stick to a more communist-friendly aesthetic, whatever this meant to the music politburo in Russia in these years. Yet, this delicate attempt to please both the party and his talent to break all boundaries are eventually the forces that made his music so unique.

The two sonatas we are playing tonight are perfectly representative works of these composers, as is Skalkottas' Tender Melody. Skakottas, on the very contrary, was interested mainly in avant-garde ideas and soon joined the second Viennese school, becoming an advocate of twelve-tone-technique, though he used it with a great sense of sensuality, composing very expressive music often closer to Weil than Webern.