Grand Duet for Cello and Piano (Ustvolskaya)

Composed in 1959, the Grand Duet is one of Ustvolskaya's largest and most sustained works. The piano part demands a near-orchestral approach: massive, hammered chord clusters at extreme dynamics, sustained for long stretches with little relief. The cello must project over and through this density with a singing, intensely committed tone. Shostakovich heard the work and was so impressed that he wrote to Ustvolskaya expressing his admiration. The two-movement structure moves from a large-scale opening movement to a more concentrated, austere closing one.

The balance between cello and piano in this work is constantly under threat — the piano is frequently written at full orchestral weight. The performers must decide together, movement by movement, how to achieve a productive tension between the two instruments rather than a competition. The cello's sustained singing quality should be preserved even against the most forceful piano writing.