Featured musician Alban Gerhardt plays his chosen pairing of suites by Britten and Bach, two glorious works for solo cello in the simple beauty of Orford Church.

Britten:
First Suite for Cello, Op.72 (22’)
Bach:
Cello Suite No.6 in D, BWV 1012 (25’)

Alban Gerhardt cello

Main image: Alban Gerhardt © Kaupo Kikkas


Alban Gerhardt is a major talent ... No programme of music for the cello could better illustrate his artistry than this combination of some of the most important solo cello works ever composed. The chosen repertoire, Britten followed by Bach … works supremely well as a musical sequence ...

Music Web International

The famous cellist Rostropovich, a great friend of Britten, described Bach's No.6 as “a symphony for solo cello”.

Bach's music was amongst the most performed in the Festival during Britten's lifetime, and Britten's passion for Bach extended beyond the Festival with additional celebrations of his music in the “Bach at Long Melford” series during the 1960s.