The cello suites by

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

( Opp. 72, 80, and 87) are a series of three compositions for solo

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

, dedicated to

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

. 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 Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( , ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

's Cello Concerto in C major, for Rostropovich, in 1964. Rostropovich gave the first performances of each work, and recorded Suites Nos 1 and 2 commercially.

Cello Suite No. 1, Op. 72

Britten wrote the First Suite at the end of 1964. The premiere was at the

Aldeburgh Festival The Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the Arts is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on Snape Maltings Concert Hall. History of the Aldeburgh Festival Th ...

on 27 June 1965. The suite is in nine movements, played without pause: * ''Canto primo: Sostenuto e largamente'' * ''Fuga: Andante moderato'' * ''Lamento: Lento rubato'' * ''Canto secondo: Sostenuto'' * ''Serenata: Allegretto

pizzicato Pizzicato (, ; translated as "pinched", and sometimes roughly as "plucked") is a playing technique that involves plucking the strings of a string instrument. The exact technique varies somewhat depending on the type of instrument : * On bowed ...

'' * ''Marcia: Alla marcia moderato'' * ''Canto terzo: Sostenuto'' * ''Bordone: Moderato quasi recitativo'' * ''Moto perpetuo e Canto quarto: Presto'' The score was published in 1966.

Cello Suite No. 2, Op. 80

The Second Suite dates from the summer of 1967. Rostropovich gave the premiere at the Aldeburgh Festival,

Snape Maltings Snape Maltings is an arts complex on the banks of the River Alde at Snape, Suffolk, England. It is best known for its concert hall, which is one of the main sites of the annual Aldeburgh Festival. The original purpose of the Maltings was the m ...

, on 17 June 1968. The score was published in 1969. The movements are as follows: * ''Declamato: Largo'' * ''Fuga: Andante'' * ''Scherzo: Allegro molto'' * ''Andante lento'' * ''Ciaccona: Allegro''

Cello Suite No. 3, Op. 87

Britten composed the Third Suite in 1971, inspired by Rostropovich's playing of the unaccompanied Cello Suites of

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

. Rostropovich first performed the suite at the Snape Maltings, 21 December 1974. In 1979 the Britten Estate authorised

Julian Lloyd Webber Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme. Early years and education Julian ...

to make the suite's first recording. The Third Suite is in nine movements, performed without pause: * ''Introduzione: Lento'' * ''Marcia: Allegro'' * ''Canto: Con Moto'' * ''Barcarolla: Lento'' * ''Dialogo: Allegretto'' * ''Fuga: Andante espressivo'' * ''Recitativo: Fantastico'' * ''Moto perpetuo: Presto'' * ''Passacaglia: Lento solenne'' The work incorporates four Russian themes, including three arrangements of folksongs by

Pyotr Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

, reminiscent of

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

's use of Russian themes in the

Razumovsky The House of Razumovsky or Rozumovsky (, Ukrainian: ''Розумовський'', German: ''Razumofsky'') is the name Imperial Russian noble family of Zaporozhian Cossack origin from Siveria. The main family line became extinct in the 19th cen ...

quartets. The final Russian tune, stated simply at the end of the set, is the

Kontakion of the Departed The kontakion (Greek , plural , ''kontakia'') is a form of hymn performed in the Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The kontakion originated in the Byzantine Empire around the 6th century and is closely associated with Sai ...

, the

Russian Orthodox Russian Orthodoxy (russian: Русское православие) is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is or was traditionally conducted in Church Slavonic language. Most ...

Hymn for the Dead.

Philip Brett Philip Brett (October 17, 1937 – October 16, 2002) was a British-born American musicologist, musician and conductor. He was particularly known for his scholarly studies on Benjamin Britten and William Byrd and for his contributions to the deve ...

considers the Third Suite to be the most passionate of the three.

References

Sources

: "Benjamin Britten", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy. * Aquino, F. Avellar de. "Song of Sorrow". in The Strad Magazine, London, v. 117, Vol. 1391, p. 52-57, 2006. (on Britten's Third Cello Suite) {{Benjamin Britten, state=collapsed Cello Suites Solo cello pieces Suites (music) 1964 compositions 1967 compositions 1971 compositions