ALDEBURGH FESTIVAL I: CELLO SYMPHONY

The cellist Rostropovich brought something out in Britten. The famously reserved composer responded to the cellist’s ebullience and demonstrative nature across a series of full-blooded works. Discussing whether Britten would write him a concerto, Rostropovich declared “Write for the cello everything that your heart tells you, never mind how difficult it is; my love for you will help me to master every note, even the most impossible ones”. Britten followed these instructions to the letter: difficult, at times, but full of heart, the Symphony for Cello is a bold, brave and sometimes boisterous encounter between cello and orchestra.

Lisa Illean’s Chansons looks back to songs written in the 15th-century by Gilles Binchois: as the composer puts it, the songs are translated or recollected rather than simply arranged for string ensemble. The result is a singularly beautiful collage of sounds. A new work by Illean for recorder, pre-recorded sounds and strings will also feature in the programme, as will occasional, atmospheric recorder solos from Genevieve Lacey. Steve Stelios Adam’s et døgn (“one day”) for recorder with electro-acoustics is a hauntingly beautiful exploration of sound.

Brett Dean’s Carlo is a kind of psychological portrait of the 16th-century composer Carlo Gesualdo, famous both for his strange, sliding harmonies and for murdering his wife and her lover. In Dean’s work, Gesualdo’s music becomes drawn into a fragmentary, frightening space: the composer’s personal and professional life collide, often to chilling effect.