Britten: The Cello Suites

Admirers of the six cello suites of J.S. Bach would do well to investigate the three cello suites of Benjamin Britten, especially if they are in search of a modern updating of the genre. Britten composed these solo works for the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and in addition to writing for his extraordinary capabilities, Britten clearly had Bach's music in mind. Insofar as the cello suites incorporate both Baroque and later forms, and display all of Britten's ingenuity and craft in what is one of the most exposed and ... Read More

Admirers of the six cello suites of J.S. Bach would do well to investigate the three cello suites of Benjamin Britten, especially if they are in search of a modern updating of the genre. Britten composed these solo works for the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and in addition to writing for his extraordinary capabilities, Britten clearly had Bach's music in mind. Insofar as the cello suites incorporate both Baroque and later forms, and display all of Britten's ingenuity and craft in what is one of the most exposed and unforgiving of musical mediums, these works could be regarded as both an homage to Bach and as a kind of summation of modern cello techniques. Yet Britten's fertile imagination for instrumental effects and sense for the long, lyrical line keep these works from sounding like slavish imitations of Bach's dance-oriented suites, or a catalog of extended effects. Indeed, a somber, even meditative, mood runs through the suites that gives the music an elegiac cast, which identifies the... Read Less