Britten: Cello Suites 1, 2 & 3

On this CD:

1. Suite No. 1 for cello solo, Op. 72
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Performed by Pieter Wispelwey

2. Suite No. 2 for cello solo, Op. 80
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Performed by Pieter Wispelwey

3. Suite No. 3 for cello solo, Op. 87
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Performed by Pieter Wispelwey

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Britten's Cello Suites were written for Mstislav Rostropovich, whose Decca recordings of the first two are nonpareil. Recently, technically assured, interpretively divergent accounts by Truls Mørk (Virgin) and Rohan de Saram (Montaigne) have won praise, and now Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey, who's made many admirable discs for Channel Classics, joins their company. All of Wispelwey's recordings reveal a personal touch; none more so than these Britten Suites. He can go to extremes, as in the sluggish tempos and altered rhythms of some movements. Such wayward touches should not deter, for he plays throughout with gorgeous rounded tones and obvious identification with the music, as can be heard in the great Chaconne of Suite No. 2, and in the way the fugues are played with emotional power and technical aplomb. The engineering brings Wispelwey and his cello right into your listening room, too. These works have the depth to take multiple interpretive stances, so Britten fans and cello enthusiasts will want more than one, and Wispelwey offers a strong alternative view of these endlessly fascinating works. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Ste No.1, Op.72: Canto Primo. Sostenuto E Largamente
Ste No.1, Op.72: I. Fuga. Andante Moderato
Ste No.1, Op.72: II. Lamento. Lento Rubato
Ste No.1, Op.72: Canto Secondo. Sostenuto
Ste No.1, Op.72: III. Ser. Allegretto: Pizzicato
Ste No.1, Op.72: IV. Marcia. Alla Marcia Moderato
Ste No.1, Op.72: Canto Terzo. Sostenuto
Ste No.1, Op.72: V. Bordone. Moderato Quasi Recitativo
Ste No.1, Op.72: VI. Moto Perpetuo E Canto Quarto. Presto
Ste No.2, Op.80: I. Declamato. Largo
Ste No.2, Op.80: II. Fuga. Andante
Ste No.2, Op.80: III. Scherzo. Allegro Molto
Ste No.2, Op.80: IV. Andante Lento
Ste No.2, Op.80: V. Ciaccona. Allegro
Ste No.3, Op.87: I. Intro. Lento
Ste No.3, Op.87: II. Marcia. Allegro
Ste No.3, Op.87: III. Canto. Con Moto
Ste No.3, Op.87: IV. Barcarola. Lento
Ste No.3, Op.87: V. Dialogo. Allegretto
Ste No.3, Op.87: VI. Fuga. Andante Espressivo/VII. Recitativo. Fantastico
Ste No.3, Op.87: VIII. Moto Perpetuo. Presto
Ste No.3, Op.87: IX. Passacaglia. Lento Solenne
Ste No.3, Op.87: Mournful Song (Under The Little Apple Tree). Molto Semplice-Autumn. Vivace...

Amazon.com

Written between 1964 and 1971 for Britten's friend Mstislav Rostropovich, these suites exploit every resource of the instrument and require utmost technical, intellectual, and musical proficiency from the player. Though they share a certain austerity and love of sound effects, each has its own character and structure. The first frames three pairs of contrasting movements with a recurring ostinato; the second opens with declamatory conversations between the cello's low and high registers and demands pyrotechnics-like chords, double stops, simultaneous bowing, and plucking; the third alternates plucked and bowed passages and features extreme contrasts of character, dynamics and moods. Young Jean-Guihen Queyras, a multiple prizewinner with a burgeoning European career, surmounts all these formidable hurdles without strain, playing with an unfailingly beautiful, pure, variable tone, and total authority and involvement. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING !!!.......2007-04-06

I've seen Queyras twice , at Sala São Paulo . He's an amazing cellist . His youth face tranforms itself when he plays .
I love his Britten's interpretations !
Great Album !!!!

For connoisseurs only.......2002-04-26

Why has nobody else given this recording five stars? It's the same on rec.music.classical and the like: everybody recommends Rostropovitch and all sorts of other cellists, and I never see Queyras mentioned. But this is inexplicable! As Amazon's Edith says, he plays with "unfailingly beautiful, pure, variable tone, and total authority and involvement". These are fascinating and lovely works, subtle and introspective: and listening to this recording you feel as though Queyras is sitting right beside you. What's more, the price is excellent. Conclusion: only buy this CD if you're sure you're going to appreciate it. Otherwise don't spread the word, and leave the stock for people who really know what's worth listening to!

Average customer rating:

A Seldom Heard Masterpiece by Britten
Truls Mork is the best!
A smooth reading...
breathing music

Truls Mørk ~ Britten - Cello Suites 1-3
Benjamin Britten , and Truls Mørk
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bach: Cello Suites
Britten: Three Suites for Solo Violoncello
Grieg: Cello Sonata, String Quartet
The 20th-Century Cello
Schumann: Cello Concerto; Bloch: Schelomo; Bruch: Kol Nidrei

ASIN: B00004Z34E
Release Date: 2001-01-09

Tracks:

Ste No.1, Op.72: Canto Primo: Sostenuto E Largamente
Ste No.1, Op.72: Fuga: Andante Moderato
Ste No.1, Op.72: Lamento: Lento Rubato
Ste No.1, Op.72: Canto Secondo: Sostenuto
Ste No.1, Op.72: Serenata: Allegretto (Pizzicato)
Ste No.1, Op.72: Marcia: Alla Marcia Moderato
Ste No.1, Op.72: Canto Terzo: Sostenuto
Ste No.1, Op.72: Bordone: Moderato Quasi Recitativo
Ste No.1, Op.72: Moto Perpetuo E Canto Quarto: Presto
Ste No.2, Op.80: Declamato: Largo
Ste No.2, Op.80: Fuga: Andante
Ste No.2, Op.80: Scherzo: Allegro Molto
Ste No.2, Op.80: Andante Lento
Ste No.2, Op.80: Ciaccona: Allegro
Ste No.3, Op.87: Intro: Lento
Ste No.3, Op.87: Marcia: Allegro
Ste No.3, Op.87: Canto: Con Moto
Ste No.3, Op.87: Barcarola: Lento
Ste No.3, Op.87: Dialogo: Allegretto
Ste No.3, Op.87: Fuga: Andante Espressivo
Ste No.3, Op.87: Recitativo: Fantastico
Ste No.3, Op.87: Moto Perpetuo: Presto
Ste No.3, Op.87: Passacaglia: Lento Solenne

Amazon.com

The Cello Suites are the most intimate, introspective, and, for many listeners, resistible of all the major Britten scores, and so it takes a special interpretive talent to make manifest their worth, vitality, and genius. For works of genius they surely are: austere in form but rich in thought, in much the manner of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites, which lay the ground rules for this kind of repertory. They were originally written for Rostropovich, who remains their champion of choice. But for reasons best known to himself, Rostropovich has only ever recorded the first two, leaving the field open for younger cellists to set down the complete series. Truls Mork makes his contribution with readings of stature that scrutinize the material and project it with a big, warm resonance. His playing is perhaps less energized than Rostropovich's but more elegiac, and it has all the technical accomplishment you'd expect from someone who by now must rank among the top five cellists in the world. Enormously impressive. --Michael White

Customer Reviews:

A Seldom Heard Masterpiece by Britten.......2006-04-22

Truls Mork: Britten --Cello Suites 1-3 (Virgin) (5*)

I bought this record because I've admired Truls Mork's cello playing, because I love the Bach unaccompanied cello sonatas, because I've heard little of Britten's music (although I did once almost freeze to death during a late-season performance of Britten's opera, A Midsummer Night's Dream, in the unheated Glimmerglass Opera House in Cooperstown, NY), and because the reviews on Amazon praised it highly.

They were right to praise it. It's exquisite music and Truls Mork is the right person to play it. His cello sound is deep and sonorous, appropriate for music as complex and evocative as this. The movements of the three suites, which were composed as unaccompanied cello suites with Britten's good colleague, Mstislav Rostropovich, in mind, vary in tempo, approach and mood, and they permit Mork to show off his considerable technique, which he does without loss of musical content.

At the same time as I bought this album, I bought the half-jazz, half-not-jazz album, Round About Weill (ECM), with Gianluigi Trovesi on clarinets and Gianni Coscia on Accordion. I then loaded both albums onto iTunes on my computer and interspersed them, first one tune from the one album, then one tune from the other, until all were in place in my music file. They fit amazingly well. To start with, both are superb albums by consummate musicians at the peak of their creative powers. More than that, though, they match in musicality and in evoking a mood, which is usually but not always melancholic.

Try it., Buy them both, not just one of them. But no matter what, if you want to listen to quality cello music performed by a superior artist, you'll relish this album by Truls Mork.

Truls Mork is the best!.......2003-07-28

Mork's rendition of the Britten Suites is incredible! His may use a lot of rubato but it sounds good, right? His articulation and intonation is perfect! If you like cello, you'll like this!

A smooth reading..........2002-10-07

Considering a five-star rating to be perfection/near-perfection, this recording deserves a rating just slightly below. Mr. Mork's virtuosity and musicality are quite evident, and his playing is amazingly smooth and legato when he so desires. My one point of difference with his playing is the occasional loss of rhythmic certainty: listening with the sheet music in front of me, I could not tell exactly how he was counting. The rubato seemed a bit much.

Despite this one difference of interpretation, I have greatly enjoyed listening to Mork's playing of what is a relatively unknown work--especially to non-cellists. But like the more popular suites of Bach, the solo suites of Britten are rich with thought, emotion, and a wonderful variety of sounds. As a cello performance major just beginning to work on the op.72 suite, I am able to appreciate the beauty of this work, and the validity that Mork's playing gives it. If you listen to this recording, I'm sure you will feel the same way.

breathing music.......2002-03-01

There is an intimacy between Truls Mørk and his cello which effuses not only in the grand scheme of the music he plays, but in each phrase he breathes, and I would argue, in each note his instrument sings. I first heard Truls play in recital five years ago and was stunned by the incredible range of his technique, including unbelieveable variety of vibrato and bow control. And so much the more that it never approached idiosyncracy, but rather, all added to a musical quality in performance I have since rarely seen. (Evgeny Kissin at the piano gave me similar pause). Mr Mørk obviously has deep feeling for the Britten Suites, and they are a wonderful showcase for his prodigious talent. I am pleased that with his recent Grammy nomination, many more will come to know the musical vision Truls Mørk shares so generously.

Average customer rating:

Great technical brilliance used for the wrong purposes

Britten: Cello Suites 1, 2 & 3
Pieter Wispelwey
Manufacturer: Channel Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005U0H5
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Amazon.com

Britten's Cello Suites were written for Mstislav Rostropovich, whose Decca recordings of the first two are nonpareil. Recently, technically assured, interpretively divergent accounts by Truls Mørk (Virgin) and Rohan de Saram (Montaigne) have won praise, and now Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey, who's made many admirable discs for Channel Classics, joins their company. All of Wispelwey's recordings reveal a personal touch; none more so than these Britten Suites. He can go to extremes, as in the sluggish tempos and altered rhythms of some movements. Such wayward touches should not deter, for he plays throughout with gorgeous rounded tones and obvious identification with the music, as can be heard in the great Chaconne of Suite No. 2, and in the way the fugues are played with emotional power and technical aplomb. The engineering brings Wispelwey and his cello right into your listening room, too. These works have the depth to take multiple interpretive stances, so Britten fans and cello enthusiasts will want more than one, and Wispelwey offers a strong alternative view of these endlessly fascinating works. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Great technical brilliance used for the wrong purposes.......2002-02-12

Wispelwey's technical abilities are almost beyond belief. He tackles the numerous difficulties in these suites as if they are mere first grade exercises. But maybe this technical facility allows him just a bit too much time to fool around with the music itself. He takes it apart and reassembles it as something that at times hardly resembles Britten's notes at all. The results can be fascinating in themselves, but often they also sound mannered, self-conscious and far-fetched. The liberties taken with the first suite's Serenade, for instance, are such that the rhythmic structure simply falls apart. Almost every bar has another tempo, and Wispelwey simply doesn't allow himself to play even two arpeggio's the same way. The point of this charming movement, with the cello emulating a guitar, is totally lost. Also, I was surprised at the casual way the integration of the Canto theme in the final Moto perpetuo is underplayed. This lack of climactic resolve also mars the final movement of the Third Suite. Tempo's are often overly deliberate.
Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to enjoy here in the way of cello playing of the highest imaginable standard, on a very beautiful sounding instrument and very well recorded too. These assets might have yielded a recording of these works to surpass all others, those of Rostropovich included. But alas: as a realization of Britten's Suites they are off the mark, widely so at times. The second suite fares best, by the way. But still, a paraphrase of the wry remark originally addressed at Bernstein applies: `the composer was unable to realize Wispelwey's intentions'.

Average customer rating:

Not ugly at all!
Not as ugly as one might think
The cello sounds so ugly...

Britten: Cello Suites Nos. 1-3

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000014AC
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Canto Primo: Sostenuto E Largamente
I. Fuga: Andante Moderato
II. Lamento: Lento Rubato
Canto Secondo: Sostenuto
III. Serenata: Allegretto (Pizzicato)
IV. Marcia: Alla Marcia Moderato
Canto Terzo: Sostenuto
V. Bordone: Moderato Quasi Recitativo
Moto Perpetuo E Canto Quarto: Presto
Declamato: Largo
Fuga: Andante
Scherzo: Allegro Molto
Andante Lento
Ciaccona: Allegro
Introduzione: Lento
Marcia: Allegro
Canto: Con Moto
Barcarolla: Lento
Dialogo: Allegretto
Fuga: Andante Espressivo
Recitativo: Fantastico
Moto Perpetuo: Presto
Passacaglia: Lento Solenne

Customer Reviews:

Not ugly at all!.......2004-12-21

Other reviewers have already pointed out the Tim Hugh's interpretation of these amazing works is 'raspy' or 'expressionist'. These descriptions are both true, but one should not mistake Hugh's interpretation as ugly. One of the wonderful things about Britten's Cello Suites is that they leave themselves open to wildly different interpretations. True, Hugh is not Rostropovich at all. Rostropovich's readings of the first two Suites focus on the creamy, beautiful sound he was capable of producing. However, I do believe that Hugh succeeds in emphasising the structural felicities more than Rostropovich, and he also provides a more coherent emotional atmosphere, particularly in the First Suite. The final moto perpetuo has never sounded so angry as here, making the appearance of the Canto Quarto even more climactic. In the Third Suite, Hugh really emphasises the constant references and transformations of Russian folksongs and the Kontakion. The inner movements convey an intense feeling of claustrophobia before being relieved in the final, dark but uplifting passacaliga. Hugh's technical abilities cannot be called into question as he meets the considerable technical hurdles with ease. Highly recommended.

Not as ugly as one might think.......2001-02-08

Timothy Hugh's playing of these pieces is somewhat expressionist--and one might consider it empty of any kind of sentimentality that pervades too many interpretations of Britten's music. This is why I like this very honest performance. The recording quality is surprisingly good and you might gain something from this record.

The cello sounds so ugly..........2000-02-13

I have other records with Tim Hugh, which I do not dislike at all. Therefore, and also considering the low-price, I will not rate this record as severely as I am tempted to do.

There are two major problems with this CD. First, why, if Naxos is desperate about producing, over time, the "complete works" of all major composers, not selecting Maria Kliegel instead of Hugh for this particular one; the comparison with Rostropovich (re-edited, at low price, a few years ago... this is the original and still best interpretation... of the first two suites, at least... I don't have the third) would prove less detrimental to Naxos. Second, intrinsically, the cello sounds so rasp that is it difficult - if you have not heard others play these works - to even apprehend that Britten's cello suites are masterpieces. I strongly advise to run away from this record...

Britten: Suites for Solo Cello
Average customer rating:

Lovely

Britten: Suites for Solo Cello

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Britten | Britten, Sir Benjamin | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000CGP2X
Release Date: 2004-03-02

Tracks:

Canto Primo: Sostenuto E largamente
I. Fuga: Andante Moderato
II. Lamento: Lento Rubato
Canto Secondo: Sostenuto
III. Serenata: Allegretto (Pizzicato)
IV. Marcia: Alla Marcia Moderato
Canto Terzo: Sostenuto
V. Bordone: Moderato Quasi Recitativo
VI. Moto Perpetuo E Canto Quarto: Presto
I. Declamato: Largo
II. Fuga: Andante
III. Scherzo: Allegro Molto
IV. Andante Lento
V. Ciaccona: Allegro
I. Lento (Introduzione)
II. Allegro (Marcia)
III. Con Moto (Canto)
IV. Lento (Barcarola)
V. Allegretto (Dialogo)
VI. Andante Espressivo (Fuga)
VII. Fantastico (Recitativo)
VIII. Presto (Moto Perpetuo)
IX. Lento Solenne (Passacaglia)

Customer Reviews:

Lovely.......2006-01-26

These suites were the product of Britten's friendship with the great Russian cellist Rostropovich. They are a bit of an anomaly as he devoted most of his mature career to vocal music, particularly opera composition. Its not entirely fair to say that Britten makes the cello 'sing' - playing a role that would be occupied by the human voice - but his vocal preoccupations inform these suites. These is lovely, subtle music that repays relistening. Watkins' performance is excellent.

Average customer rating:

SACD/performance rules
Concert Hall Realism Realized!
Because We Can, That's Why!

Cello Suites
Benjamin Britten , and Pieter Wispelwey
Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven: Complete Sonatas & Variations [Hybrid SACD]
J.S. Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001-1006
Chopin: Cello Waltzes, Vol. 1
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (Hybr)

ASIN: B000063TD2
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Customer Reviews:

SACD/performance rules.......2003-02-28

I'm no expert on cello performances and perhaps it's the newness of the purchase, but--the sound is tremendous, especially since I can compare the multilayered SACD. For instance the stereo cd layer sounds good, but then listening to the same cd layer on the six channel (SACD)input sounds much better. Switched over to the SACD layer, the quietness of the sound is really noticable as is the detail and depth. All this together for a single beautiful instrument and to my ears a great performance is just amazing. I love the energy of Wispelweys playing. If you're trying to decide on the cd or the SACD then I recommend the SACD especially on this solo instrument where detail is crucial.

Concert Hall Realism Realized!.......2003-01-01

The really neat thing about multichannel sound as realized here is that we are brought into the concert hall rather than attempting to bring the performer into our living room. This is as effective with a solo instrument as with a large orchestra - perhaps even more so because limitations of speaker size and amplifier power are less important in reproducing a solo instrument than they are in attempting to recreate the sound of a full orchestra. Britten's music is wonderful and Wispelwey is one of the most accomplished cellists playing today!

Because We Can, That's Why!.......2002-06-04

The Wispelwey performance of the three Britten suites for cello is up to and beyond his usual high standards. It's a shame that we in the U.S. haven't heard more of Wispelwey's recordings -- or more than just the usual, standard fare from the Britten repertoire. That alone makes this recording one to purchase and savor. My one beef with this Channel Classics hybrid, multi-channel SACD is that a multi-channel recording of a solo performance truly begs the question of "WHY?" Don't get me wrong, the recording is very well done, as are all of Channel's SACDs, but a stereo SACD recording would really have done the job here. Just my opinion, though -- I'd welcome any other input from other classical music lovers.

Benjamin Britten: The Three Cello Suites - Pieter Wispelwey

Average customer rating:

Benjamin Britten: The Three Cello Suites - Pieter Wispelwey

Manufacturer: Globe
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000044O2
Release Date: 1995-12-01

Classical Favorites Advertiser's Guide (Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4)

Average customer rating:

Educational. Not entertaining.

Classical Favorites Advertiser's Guide (Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4)

Manufacturer: Cleopatra
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Musettes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00004KD5D
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Customer Reviews:

Educational. Not entertaining........2001-01-11

Thinking the 100 tracks this four volume set has to offer would be a relaxing in the car, or underscored during work time, I found the compilation of various composers to be rather jarring. Each CD contains 25 tracks of different movements from 6 to 8 artists, which don't follow any pleasing through line. If you are interested in learning just who composed which famous piece, or if you need to have on hand the top 100 classical pieces (according to whom? I don't know), then this may be right for you. If you are looking for leisure then I suggest you find something that actually completes a symphony.