Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1

Victor Julien-Laferrière, with his interpretation of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, op. 107, won the Queen Elisabeth Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions for instrumentalists. This piece, inspired by Rostropovich, friend and former student of the composer, is as much loved as feared by cellists because of the technical virtuosity it requires. For the first time, the Competition allowed cellists to participate. With as much as four french finalists, the jury has praised the French cellist school, the excellence of which Julien-Lafferière has glowingly exemplified on the stage of Brussel’s Centre for Fine Arts.