I first became acquainted with the Adagio con Variazioni
by Respighi when I heard a really fine performance given by Mischa
Maisky. It was the version with orchestral accompaniment, and it was
on a CD together with other short works for cello and orchestra. I had
never heard this work before and was not aware of its existence, which
made the surprise of discovering this work even greater. The piece and
the performance were mesmerizing, and its theme, beautiful and
haunting, kept playing in my head for months! I decided to learn the
work and have performed it several times with piano accompaniment.
After each performance I received numerous comments from the members of
the public about how much they enjoyed listening to this piece which
was also unknown to them. I realized time and again that this work is
one of the best kept secrets in the cello repertoire, and deserves to
be learned and performed by any cellist who is looking to expand his or
her repertoire. The orchestra (or piano) is an equal partner to the
cello in this rhapsodic work. I highly recommend this masterpiece to
any advanced student or professional cellist. There are very few
pieces in the cello repertoire which can match the beauty of this work.
-Mihai Tetel
Click on the video below to watch Mischa
Maisky perform Respighi's Adagio con Variazioni with orchestra.
