Cello Symphony
Encyclopedia
The Symphony for Cello and Orchestra or Cello Symphony Op.
68 was written in 1963 by the British composer Benjamin Britten
. He dedicated the work to Mstislav Rostropovich
, who gave the work its premiere in Moscow
with the composer and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
on March 12, 1964. The work's title reflects the music's more even balance between soloist and orchestra than in the traditional concerto format.
The piece is in the four-movement
structure typical of a symphony, but the final two movements are linked by a cello cadenza
:
, while Zwilich wrote a Cello Symphony where the cello section is most prominent.
Opus number
An Opus number , pl. opera and opuses, abbreviated, sing. Op. and pl. Opp. refers to a number generally assigned by composers to an individual composition or set of compositions on publication, to help identify their works...
68 was written in 1963 by the British composer Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
. He dedicated the work to Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, who gave the work its premiere in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with the composer and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra
The Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra is an orchestra based in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1951 by Samuil Samosud, as the Moscow Youth Orchestra for young and inexperienced musicians, acquiring its current name in 1953...
on March 12, 1964. The work's title reflects the music's more even balance between soloist and orchestra than in the traditional concerto format.
The piece is in the four-movement
Movement (music)
A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
structure typical of a symphony, but the final two movements are linked by a cello cadenza
Cadenza
In music, a cadenza is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display....
:
- Allegro maestoso
- Presto inquieto
- Adagio - cadenza ad lib
- PassacagliaPassacagliaThe passacaglia is a musical form that originated in early seventeenth-century Spain and is still used by contemporary composers. It is usually of a serious character and is often, but not always, based on a bass-ostinato and written in triple metre....
: Andante allegro
See also
Prokofiev wrote a Symphony-Concerto for Cello and OrchestraSymphony-Concerto (Prokofiev)
Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto in E minor, Op. 125 is a large-scale work for cello and orchestra. Prokofiev dedicated it to Mstislav Rostropovich, who premiered it on February 18, 1952 with Sviatoslav Richter conducting . After this first performance Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto in E...
, while Zwilich wrote a Cello Symphony where the cello section is most prominent.
External links
- Performance of the Britten Cello Symphony