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Truls Mørk and Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak Cello Concerto

Truls Mork Dvorak Cello Concerto Performance




I absolutely adore the new young cello soloists rising today. Cellists like Kian Soltani, Pablo Fernandez, Andrei Ionita, etc are all tremendous musicians in their own right and are immensely gifted, however no modern cellist has really struck me as particularly dominant over the other in overall music (like how Rostropovich was in his time, and how he still is today). However, with Truls Mork, there seems to be what I have been looking for. 

Rostropovich is the greatest cellist of all time and my favorite cellist of all time. The range of vibrato and the sounds he could produce from his cello (from the quietest pianissimo to the loudest forte) was unmatched, as well as his technical virtuosity. With Truls Mork, I see the mark of Rostropovich in his technique; perhaps this was due to one of his teachers being the legendary Natalya Shakhovskaya (one of the greatest students of Rostropovich who also had similar sound/technique to him). 

                                                                    Natalya Shakhovskaya


The aspect of Truls Mork's technique that I admire the most and what makes his Dvorak Cello Concerto so special is the huge sound he can produce with his right hand/bow. He is a master at using his back, similar to how Rostropovich played and how Gautier Capucon plays right now. Capucon and Truls Mork were both students of Heinrich Schiff, so perhaps they gained some bow wisdom from the maestro. 


We can see here Truls Mork really using his back to create the thick powerful sound necessary for Dvorak


Similar technique used by Capucon to make his huge romantic sound

Heinrich Schiff


With Truls Mork's interpretation of the Dvorak Concerto, what I admire most is how traditional it is. Instead of falling into the desire to create something more interesting out of the music (as many modern cellists do, to try to make some change in the music), Truls takes the conservative approach and gives a performance that is extremely comfortable to listen to (no odd phrasing or such that throws the audience off, and of course his intonation and stability in tempo is soothing as well). With such a big iconic concerto like Dvorak's, I don't believe there is a necessity to try to create something new, so this approach I greatly admire, and it makes me reminisce of Slava. 

Don't get me wrong, by conservative by no means is it boring. Truls Mork's interpretation is intensely personal and it also gives the huge intense moments of forte that is oh so crucial in this piece. 

In the second movement, Truls Mork shows us how not only is he able to give a virtuosic performance with incredible technique, however his deep musicality and passion. He is able to sing so well from the cello, and gives such personal tender moments of pianissimo in the concerto that is such a breath of fresh air from the huge romantic moments that define the Dvorak Cello Concerto. In that regards, his Dvorak truly reminds me of Rostropovich. 

Ultimately, Truls Mork's Dvorak is yet another reminder of the greatness of Truls Mork. His romantic musicality, his technical virtuosity (with both his right and left hand), and his ability to consistently give extremely faithful good interpretations are all shown here; this concerto truly shows his greatest strengths. His music is breathtaking and makes me happy that a cellist similar like Rostropovich performs still today. 

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