Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No. 1 (Johnston / BBCPO / Tortelier) – VIDEO and FLAC

BBC Philharmonic
Guy Johnston, cello
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Live recording from the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester – a concert performance given at the Finals of the BBC Young Musician Of The Year 2000 competition.

Video (MKV format, H264 video) with FLAC audio – https://mega.co.nz/#!VtB3FbpZ!bjFPOWQr_JXQWtaf1PPU8l11_f5Ci4DE4xZxoZJ nckA (35:17) 535mb
Music Only – FLAC – https://mega.co.nz/#!h0gxzapT!bSuZCy0-NYVjZL6KN_LqfzeDMPZaWAGAB9VpZQBwPyM (26:38) 112mb
Music Only – MP3 (-V0 LAME 3.99.5) – https://mega.co.nz/#!Qs4VkbTT!PLZclQiDTWmV4NzXKBIVVUFa5wV7H7jY8oW-VQFd2n8 (35:15) 44mb

Youtube – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vnDpDucGnk

This is a stunning performance of the first cello concerto – the performance that won Johnston the BBC Young Musician Of The Year contest in 2000. Despite dramatically breaking a string on his cello in the just three minutes into the concerto he kept his cool, fixed his cello, went back to the beginning, and like a man possessed, turned in a white-hot, energetic reading. He received a standing ovation and my own favourite of the evening (David Childs, the euphonium player) lost out to a very worthy winner indeed.

For those of you not familar with the composer, the piece isn’t particularly approachable – though Shostakovich’s trademark sense of humour is very present, the music is on the whole nervous, agitated, brutal, powerful, and very direct.

Johnston is now an internationally known, frequently recorded cellist – and it all began here.

Enjoy! 🙂
TT