Solo Programmes

A Tale of Five Cellos

This is a unique opportunity to hear this range of five different instruments., one after the other. The performance is, of course, accompanied by explanation and fascinating anecdotes about the history of the cello. The instruments are:

Viola da gamba
Bass violin
Baroque cello
Five-stringed cello
Classical cello

Forqueray La Mandoline (viol)
D.Gabrielli Ricercar (bass violin)
JS Bach Bourrees from Suite no 3 (baroque cello)
JS Bach Sarabande and Gavottes from Suite no 6 (5-stringed cello)
Boccherini Rondo (classical cello)
Kodaly Solo sonata, last movement


A Hungarian Evening

Music combined with a lovely goulash!

Kodaly Solo Sonata Op 8

Full of gypsy influences, this passionate and haunting work explores a wide range of rhythmic and tonal special effects and is one of the greatest works for the cello.

With a pianist, this may be combined with works by other Hungarians such as Bartok, Ligeti, Veress, Dohnanyi, or for a little more variety with Bach's Solo sonata no 6 in D major.

Played on a five-stringed copy of an Amati cello, this has an unexpected tone quality, perhaps more like a viol - and the addition of the fifth string changes the technical challenges to produce a completely different result from the other suites.


Bach

Any or all of the six suites. There is so much variety within this music; the haunting darkness of Suite no. 5, the nobility of Suite no 3, the reflective qualities in no. 2, the expansiveness of no. 4 or the well-loved  no. 1.

For a lunchtime concert, choose two.
For an evening concert choose three.

For an all day event:
Coffee - Suite no 1 in G major
Talk
Lunch
Performance: Suite no 2 in D minor
Suite no 6 in D major
Masterclass
Evening meal
Evening performance: Suite no 4 in E flat
Suite no 5 in C minor
Suite no 3 in C major