Cello fantasy

The rediscovery of the cello repertoire of the Romantic period is leading to works that call for a surprising number of performers, as this concert shows: it features trios and quartets written exclusively for that instrument. Although these pieces were written essentially for teaching purposes – to enable students from the same cello class to play together – the end result does not consist, as one might fear, of laborious technical exercises designed to assess vain virtuosity. Sometimes lyrical, sometimes dynamic, these compositions in several movements, generally written by outstanding cellists, focus on the instrument’s most prominent features. These ensemble pieces explore the cello’s possibilities in terms of sound, and bring out its expressive potential to the full.