Cello excerpt · Audition repertoire
Shostakovich, Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107
I. Allegretto
The famous DSCH-derived motif. Sardonic, driving, written for Rostropovich.
At a glance
- Instrument
- Cello
- Composer
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Work
- Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 107
- Movement
- I. Allegretto
- Era
- Modern (c. 1910–1950)
- Composed
- 1959
- Key
- Eb
- Metre
- 4/4
- Tempo
- Allegretto · ♩ ≈ 138
- Clef
- Tenor clef
- Level
- Audition, professional standard
- Audition list
- Yes, standard excerpt
How to practise it
The bow style, the trouble spots, and the stylistic decisions that come up most often on this excerpt.
Bowing
Marcato, short, biting attacks. Bow off the string between accents.
Style
Sardonic energy, Shostakovich's irony, never sweet.
Tags
Work on the technique underneath
Arco's cello curriculum builds the bow strokes, positions, and clef reading this excerpt assumes, with recorded cello playback throughout.