repertoire

Domenico Gabrieli: Ricercare n. 2
Johan Sebastian Bach: Suite n. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008
Tom Coult: Craftsmen and Clowns. World premiere*
Anònim: For the back of the bow
Tobias Hume: Tickle me quickly
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Milo
György Kurtág: “Népdalféle”, de Signs, Games and Messages
György Kurtág: “Àrnyak” de Signs, Games and Messages
Benjamin Britten: Suite n. 3 in C minor, op. 87

*Commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society thanks to the generous support of an anonymous donor.

ARTISTS

Nicolas Altstaedt, cello

Programme

Few instruments come as close to the central tessitura of the human voice as the cello.  Heir to the viola da gamba, this four-stringed instrument was once considered inferior until it was brought back to prominence in the late 19th century by the talent of Pau Casals. Since then, the cello has firmly taken pride of place in orchestras, concerts and recitals. Heir to the great classical tradition, the French-born German cellist Nicolas Altstaedt offers us a recital featuring works by Baroque (Gabrielli, Bach, Hume) and 20th-century (Kurtág, Turnage) composers, in which he creates intricate dialogues with a single voice: that of the instrument.