During this concert, familiar music takes on an entirely new form. Works originally written for orchestra are performed here by an ensemble of cellos. The cello’s warm, human voice brings out new nuances in music that we often know only in its original orchestral version.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Serenade in C major, Op. 48, in 1880, the same year in which he wrote his famous 1812 Overture. The two works could hardly be more different. Whereas the 1812 Overture is exuberant and monumental, the Serenade is far more intimate and emotionally charged. Tchaikovsky initially hesitated between writing a symphony and a work for strings alone, but ultimately chose to compose a piece for string orchestra, structured in four movements. He dedicated the Serenade to Karl Albrecht, a cellist and colleague. The fact that this music is heard today in an arrangement for cello ensemble adds a special dimension to that original dedication.

With Labyrinth (2011) by Sofia Gubaidulina, the atmosphere changes dramatically. The work was commissioned by the Lucerne Festival, whose 2011 edition was devoted to the themes of night and to composers inspired by imagination, mysticism, and dark sonorities. In this composition, Gubaidulina creates a highly distinctive sound world in which the voice of the cello is allowed to unfold in all its richness.

Both Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66 and The Nutcracker by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky were originally conceived as ballets for large orchestra. The music from Sleeping Beauty is perhaps best known to a wide audience through the Walt Disney film adaptation. The composer based the ballet on Charles Perrault’s fairy tale. From The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky himself assembled a concert suite that includes the Overture Miniature, the Characteristic Dances, and the famous Waltz of the Flowers. What was once intended as orchestral music is given new life here: not through a large symphony orchestra, but through the unique combination of eight cellos.

Programme:

P. Tsjaikovsky (arr. J. Barralet): Serenade in C op. 48

S. Gubaidulina: Labyrinth (2011) for 12 cellos

P. Tsjaikovsky: Sleeping beauty op. 66

P. Tsjaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite for cellos