Cello Symphony - Benjamin Britten

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner. Paul Watkins as the cello soloist.

I - Allegro maestoso (𝅗𝅥 = c.80) - Vivo - Tranquillo - Agitato - Lusingando - Agitato - Maestoso - Vivo - Tranquillo - Maestoso: 0:00
II - Presto inquieto (𝅘𝅥. = 112): 12:32
III - Adagio (𝅘𝅥 = c.50) - Moltro tranquillo - Animato - Cadenza ad libitum - Senza misura - Largamente - Tranquillo - (attacca): 16:23
IV - Passacaglia. Andante allegro (𝅘𝅥 = c.94) - Vivo - Senza misura - Più lento - Senza misura - Ancora più lento - Senza misura - Lento - Senza misura - Come prima, largamente: 27:05

Britten's Cello Symphony was composed between Autumn 1962 and April 1963, after a request from legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. It was premiered on March 12 of 1964, performed by the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Britten, along with Rostropovich as the soloist. Britten dedicated seven works for cello to Rostropovich during the last sixteen years of his life, and the work was a great success for both of them.

Britten's choice to call a work for solo cello and orchestra a symphony, while unusual, seems logical on reflection: though it is as demanding as that for any concerto, the solo part is woven into the texture of the orchestra, trading off melodic motives and subsidiary roles with other instruments. Also, the piece comprises four movements, more typical of the symphonic genre than that of the concerto. The work epitomises Britten's new stylistic economy following his kaleidoscopic opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and all-embracing "War Requiem": everything grows from the simplest elements.

The first movement is structured in sonata form. It begins with a rhetorical introduction from the soloist, built on dissonant and agitated chords. The main allegro then proceeds with a lively and rhythmic main theme presented between orchestra and cellist. It is contrasted by a reflective and melodic second theme, full of a certain marine flavour. The development is more dramatic and menacing, before a solo cello passage offers a melancholic moment. The recapitulation brings back the themes in a varied manner, with soloist and orchestra exchanging their previous roles. A deeply meditative coda leaves the music reminiscing before dissolving in the silence.

The second movement is a scherzo in an expanded ternary form. It opens with a restless main theme introduced by the cellist, every melodic and harmonic fragment derived from the same group of motivic cells. A deeply passionate and lyrical second theme is then presented by the soloist, a "trio" that is quickly swept by the unparalleled eeriness and activity of the scherzo. These materials alternate each other as they are more fragmented and decomposed, before the music suddenly stops without a coda.

The third movement is also structured in sonata form. It begins with a dramatic timpani roll, followed by an expressive and fateful main theme on the soloist, constructed on a descending sequence of melodic thirds. A second theme is soon presented between cello and horn, more meditative in nature. A forceful and passionate development then begins, which culminates in a ominous passage enhanced by the brass. After a powerful climax is reached, a virtuosic cadenza for the soloist begins, full of a mournful expression. A transition leads us to the final part.

The fourth movement is written as a theme and variations. It opens with the trumpet, along the cellist, introducing a cheerful and bright main theme, derived from material of the previous movement. It then becomes the subject of six variations. Some of them feature the cello more than others, but the orchestra plays a prominent role in most parts. The tone is also substantially different, much more optimistic to the point some found it to be rather forced. A deeply lyrical and contemplative variation offers us some respite from the bustling activity, before a triumphal coda ends the work brilliantly.

Picture: "Storm Clouds" (1884) by the Ukrainian-Russian painter Vladimir Orlovsky.

Musical analysis partially written by myself. Sources: https://rb.gy/vya04 and https://rb.gy/ak8ld

To check the score: https://rb.gy/z6r8b

Видео Cello Symphony - Benjamin Britten канала Sergio Cánovas