Lidstrom/Oxford Po/Ashkenazy - Mats Lidstr�m: Rigoletto Fantasy, Dmitri Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1

Vladimir Ashkenazy and Mats Lidstr�m began their collaboration in London in the 1980s, during Ashkenazy�s tenure at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra where Lidstr�m was principal cellist. They have since appeared together in concert as well as on disc, including a recording of concertos by Kabalevsky and Khachaturian on BIS. They are here reunited, in front of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, in a performance of what has become a true modern classic: Dmitri Shostakovich�s Cello Concerto No. 1. The concerto was composed in 1959, during the so-called Khruschev Thaw, but even though Soviet censorship and repression had relaxed somewhat following the death of Stalin, the approval from the mighty Composer�s Union was still needed before any public performances could take place. When the concerto was performed before the Union�s committee, Vladimir Ashkenazy - then in his early twenties � was present and has recounted how nervous and uncomfortable Shostakovich appeared while observing the reactions of the committee. The disc opens with Mats Lidstr�m�s own Rigoletto Fantasy, based on Verdi�s opera. Inspired by virtuosic violin pieces such as Sarasate�s Carmen Fantasy, and with professional experience from the orchestra pit of the Royal Swedish Opera, Lidstr�m has selected a string of highlights from Rigoletto, including of course the Duke�s La donna � mobile and Gilda�s Caro nome, joining them together in a virtuosic, dramatic and moving narrative.