Sentimental Work: Sergej Krylov on Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto no.1

For me, Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto is one of the greatest concertos of the 20th century. I first heard it when I was around 24, on a recording with David Oistrakh performing the solo part. From the first note of the piece I was completely in love, and when I started performing it a few years later, it made me feel like I was flying. It’s a very big, complex concerto in four movements, with a huge cadenza in the third. The music is incredible throughout, filled both with irony and the tragedies of the Soviet regime. Technically it’s a very challenging piece, but what I think is more difficult is to capture the atmosphere that Shostakovich wanted to evoke, particularly in the mystery of the opening movement. My feelings about this concerto are intimately tied up with my memories of Mstislav Rostropovich, and how his understanding of the piece proved inspirational for me…