Like others before them,
Benjamin Britten's Three Suites for Solo Cello hearken back to the original masterworks of the genre, Bach's Six Suites for Solo Cello. While direct references are less overt than those found in other solo cello suites,
Britten's reverence for the master is certainly there to be found. The three suites, each written for cellist
Mstislav Rostropovich over the course of some seven years, have distinctly contrasting characters. The first of the three suites is by far the most abstract, filled with extensively double-stopped cantos. While the second suite leans slightly toward a more Classical aesthetic, the third and final suite is largely based on obscured (and sometimes directly stated) Russian folk melodies. Successful performances of these pieces require the utmost in technical acumen, musical sensitivity, and broad palate of tones and timbres. Surprisingly few cellists have recorded these three suites, perhaps because of the demands placed on the performer or perhaps because of their abstract nature. Cellist
Denise Djokic, in only her second album release, sets out to conquer these works on this ATMA album. Listeners may be surprised at the exceptional prowess of this young artist. Her technique is nearly flawless, even in the most challenging of passages. Of high significance for these works is the issue of intonation, which
Djokic also meets with ease.
Britten's continuous use of wide, open intervals is met with clarity and sparkling purity. Her tone is varied, as is her musical approach to the different characters presented in the contrasting suites. Easily able to stand alongside the great recordings of
Rostropovich and
Wispelwey, this album is very likely to please.