Benjamin Britten was an ardent lover of the musical past, so I am never sure I know all of the tributes involved in his music. I assume these are fashioned after Bach's Cello Suites, although Britten is firmly planted in the 20th Century.
Cello Suite no. 1 is a showpiece for the cello, exploring all of the virtuosic feats a player could possibly want to show off.
The First Suite may also be my favorite of the trio. I love the returning Canto, where something akin to Pictures at an Exhibition occurs, bringing the listener back, yet changed based on what they heard previously. I have heard more marches set by Britten lately, and never does the composer treat the musical form straight; instead, there is almost a mocking, anti-march aspect to them all. Add to that the pizzicato Serenata, the drone Bourdon, and a frantic Moto Perpetuo, and the musical characterizations really line up.
With virtuosity for virtuosity sake out of the way, Cello Suite no. 2 is allowed to breathe, fleshing out each movement for a greater amount of time. Here, it is the longest Chaconne which is placed at the end, a sort-of Baroque variation form Britten had a love for, and often used when praising past musical masters. The shortest portion is a fleet Scherzo at the center, really the only swiftness across the work.
Like String Quartet no. 3, Britten's Cello Suite no. 3 seems a personal work, the composer's last in this specific genre. Like Lachrymae, Britten puts the themes he uses throughout the work at the end, so in case you missed them, you can go back and listen again. In this case, they are Russian tunes, I assume in honor of the dedicatee Soviet cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. I don't particularly hear songfulness in these pieces, although the fourth-movement Barcarolle comes the closest to melody making.
Otherwise, another witty March comes and goes, a third Fugue setting spattered across these Suites, plus a massive Passacaglia, a sister to the Chaconne, ends the work in true Britten form before the string of Russian songs lead to the final conclusion.
Britten asks a lot of a cellist in his Cello Suites. The cello carries the melody, the rhythmic bass line, and the harmony all at once, often with different articulations occurring at the same time as well. But it isn't just technique alone; the performer has to find an emotional depth to each short movement, and convey what they find most important to tease across the whole composition. This would be a challenge for even the finest of performers.
Rostropovich was known for his strong, powerful cello sound, and most will want to visit his recordings of the first two Cello Suites. For the full set of three, many enjoy the full, Romantic takes from the likes of Truls Mørk and Pieter Wispelwey (the Globe recording is preferable).
Rohan de Saram, the well-known cellist from the Arditti Quartet, approaches these differently. He prefers a modern tone, slightly edgy, often wanting to push ahead rather than dwell. What amazes me most is how he can make his harmonics and multiple stops speak strongly and clearly, with no sense of tentative or weak attacks in the extra techniques required of the performer. In fact, he relishes the challenges, yet never sounds harried; a true musician and advocate of modern string music.
The physical media comes in a gatefold cover with a solid teal catching the eye. The Naïve sonics are very close, so the listener will get a bit of fingerboard noise and the odd breath here or there. Saram is not a loud breather like some musicians can be, revealing a very quiet soundstage in general. A stupendous recording!
Works
Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72 (22.58)
Cello Suite no. 2, op. 80 (21.42)
Cello Suite no. 3, op. 87 (23.20)
Soloists
Rohan de Saram
Label: Naïve / Montaigne
Year: 2000
Total Timing: 68.16
In Britten's Cello Suites, I am not as enamored with the music as I am the cello, what it is asked to do, and how it does it.
Rohan de Saram makes his cello speak in an edgy, modern way, rather than a rounded Romantic portrayal.
I like the difference too!
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