IDAGIO | Britten: Cello Symphony - Symphonic Suite from 'Gloriana'

Featuring

Edward Gardner
Robert Murray
Paul Watkins
BBC Philharmonic
Benjamin Britten

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Recording & Production

This recording uses 24-bit technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.

Critical Reception

The opera 'Gloriana', from which the Symphonic Suite is drawn, had an infamously negative reception at its 1953 premiere, leading Britten to salvage orchestral extracts for concert use.

Compositional Technique

The Cello Symphony is Britten's only substantial piece of absolute symphonic music, treating the soloist and orchestra as equal partners.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The North Sea, with its contrasting facets, plays a central role in Britten's opera 'Peter Grimes', and its moods are celebrated in the orchestral interludes.

Composition History

Benjamin Britten's Cello Symphony was inspired by Mstislav Rostropovich, a renowned cellist, who requested Britten write a work for cello after their meeting in 1960.