Earlier this year he released a new recording of cello concertos by schumann and dvorak with the. Recital in organ hall at arizona state university, 114. It has been said that with the emergence of benjamin britten, england produced its first composer equal in stature to longtime favorite son henry purcell. If you are a fan of the cello repetoire, this cd is a must. These suites were chosen because of the influence of bach, which is seen in the texture of the pieces, and because they can be played on guitar with very few changes. The wispelwey performance of the three britten suites for cello is up to and beyond his usual high standards. Britten cello suites by benjamin britten on spotify. Britten s close friendship with rostropovich inspired the cello sonata 1961 and three suites for solo cello 196471. Top a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z chart. The works title reflects the musics more even balance between soloist and orchestra than in the.
Like its predecessor, benjamin britten s cello suite no. Aron zelkowicz plays benjamin britten s first suite for cello, op. Any composer who writes a suite for unaccompanied cello takes inspiration from johann sebastian bachs glorious models in some measure. Mstislav rostropovich cello, benjamin britten piano decca 421 8592. My first exposure to benjamin brittens solo cello suites was at a performance institute i attended a few summers ago in new hampshire. Joining several albums from signum celebrating 20s britten centenary year comes a new collection of the three suites for solo cello, performed by star uk cellist jamie walton. This became britten s first of five major works written for rostropovich over the course of the next decade the others being the cello symphony and the three suites for solo cello. Alban gerhardt, among the greatest living exponents of the instrument. A major release at the start of britten s anniversary celebrations. Britten s long friendship with cellist mstislav rostropovich was one of the most inspiring and fruitful musical collaborations in history. The suites were the first original solo instrumental music that britten wrote for and dedicated to rostropovich, but britten had earlier composed a cadenza for joseph haydns cello concerto in c major, for rostropovich, in 1964. The long train of purely instrumental compositions that benjamin britten began in the 1930s had, by the early 1950s, come almost to a standstill, and for a time he seems to have felt that his real musical future lay exclusively in the theater. Benjamin britten s opera peter grimes was, of course, a sweeping success at its 1945 premiere, but the composers next few large, symphonic operatic entries met with considerably less immediate public and critical approval several smaller chamber operas appeared under happy circumstances between 1945 and the next large operabilly budd 1951 really only came into its own after a 1960.
Benjamin britten s suites for solo cello have been extensively documented. The focus of this project is a transcription of three suites for cello, opp. Benjamin britten, mstislav rostropovich cello suites 1. There are indeed strong connections between the two indeed, britten s sympathy for the music of the baroque master was such that he made a number of arrangements, transcriptions, and realizations of purcells works though undoubtedly.
Mournful song under the little apple tree benjamin britten. Britten suites for solo cello are compositions that i personally file under modern classical music bot not too modern, you immediately understand that it is music composed in the 20th century, of course, but its not abstract or overly atonal and he is not ashamed of tipping his hat to the giant of the genre bachs suites, of course. It led directly to the composition of some of the most important works for cello of the twentieth century. Complete music for cello solo and cello and piano bt 0617. Titlestructuralorganizationinbenjaminbrittensthreesuitesforsolocello. A friendship was being forged, and so was a whole catalogue of cello works for the russian. The symphony for cello and orchestra or cello symphony, op. Titlestructuralorganization inbenjaminbrittensthreesuitesforsolocello.
Imo, mullershotts interpretations bring more out of these pieces than rostropovich or gaillard both favorites of mine. The composition of benjamin britten s cello suites also occurred at a juncture in which the composer returned to writing instrumental music. This project covers the transcription of three suites for cello, opp. Recorded in the britten studio at snape maltings, aldeburgh, the three suites were dedicated to mstislav.
Despite composing a great deal of instrumental music early in his career, benjamin britten became a composer of primarily vocal music in. Britten, bach and beethoven jan 30, 31 minnesota orchestra paul watkins, conductor and cello thursday, january 30, 2020, 11 am orchestra hall friday, january 31, 2020, 8 pm orchestra hall benjamin britten variations on a theme of frank bridge, opus 10 ca. While britten s contemporaries focused on extremely inventive methods of writing, britten focused on his own renovation of the traditional elements. Mstislav rostropovich recorded his decca accounts of britten s op. Born and deceased in suffolk, england, benjamin britten 191976 was a precocious musical spirit who. String quartets featured throughout britten s composing career, from a student work in 1928 to his third string quartet 1975. Rostropovich was a commanding bach player, and britten s suite is full of the techniques and textures developed in the bach suites. Britten s cello symphony was next, and then after hearing rostropovich play the bach solo suites britten. Britten, however, uses an expansive, doublestopped canto as a framing. Cover photograph of britten conducting by brian seed. Doctor of musical arts performance, may 2009, 49 pp. Benjamin britten s three suites for cello have steadily been making their way into the standard cello repertoire since their premieres in 1965, 1968 and 1974.
Britten cello download free sheet music and scores scorser. Thus, the first two movements, a declamato and a fugue, are similar in basic structure to a bach prelude and fugue. Recorded in the britten studio at snape maltings, aldeburgh, the three suites were dedicated to mstislav rostropovich, with the passionate third in particular inspired by rostropovichs rich and romantic. Structural organization in benjamin brittens three suites. He dedicated the work to mstislav rostropovich, who gave the work its premiere in moscow with the composer and the moscow philharmonic orchestra on 12 march 1964. Browse and buy all sheet music titles composed by benjamin britten 1976. The five major cello works he wrote for mstislav rostropovich the sonata, the symphony concerto, and the three solo suites have been taken up in short order as standard. Britten s cello suites are definitely influenced by bachs cello suites, especially with regard to the structure of the works. Benjamin britten 191976 wrote five stunning and innovative cello works. The britten cello suites part 1 by aron zelkowicz cellists have as much reason as anyone to celebrate the upcoming benjamin britten centenary, if not more so.
Original works, recordings and arrangements by this person cannot be uploaded here until january 1, 2027 without confirmed permission of the owner. Britten s cello suites are already challenging and complex. These suites were chosen because of britten s use of compound melodic notation in which multivoiced textures may be derived from what appears on paper to be a single. Benjamin britten s instrumental music has received relatively little attention in the music theory community compared to is operas and vocal music. Britten s correspondence with rostropovich reveals the composers humility in the face of rostropovichs reputation. The abandonment of concert music had taken place, not so coincidentally, after the sweeping success of peter grimes and the early chamber operas. Instrumental album cello score faber music limited. This study focused on benjamin britten s four solo cello works. They are some of the most frequently performed and recognizable solo compositions ever written for cello. Youtube francis poulenc cello sonata with score duration. His cello muse rostropovich has encouraged britten to explore the dark and textured sounds of the modern cello. Benjamin britten sheet music books hard copy benjamin britten sheet music digital printable. Benjamin britten sheet music books scores buy online. Benjamin britten, however, was just as inspired by the great cellist mstislav rostropovichs rich, romantic playing of the bach suites as by the suites themselves.
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