A Study on the Musical Language and Performance Interpretation of Prokofiev's "Cello (Symphonic) Concerto in E Minor"

Abstract

The core artistic value of Prokofiev's "Cello (Symphonic) Concerto in E minor" (Op. 125) lies in reconfiguring the dialogue mechanism between the solo part and the orchestra based on the "symphonic" principle, and thereby generating a performance technical load far beyond the conventional cello literature. The research path of this paper starts from the structural form of the work, then traces the continuous and transformed process of the core pitch motive throughout the three movements of the entire piece, and finally focuses the analytical focus on several key technical aspects such as chord plucking, double notes of extreme intervals, high-thumb position operation, and complex bowing transitions. The basic judgment of the argument is that the generation of these technical difficulties does not stem from the composer's preference for display effects, but from his continuous "percussive" color concept, the rhythmic driving logic of the tarantella form, and the inevitable requirements of the monumental structural will for the performer in the solo discourse layer. Therefore, the performer must reconstruct a balanced performance strategy with internal tension between the traditional singing-like pronunciation system and Prokofiev's modern sound demands, and only in this way can the performance potential contained in this work be substantially released.