Unaccompanied Cello Recital

Cello Suite No. 5 in C Minor, BWV 1011

Johann Sebastian Bach

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Bach’s C Minor cello suite, the fifth of six suites brought to light by the great Catalonian cellist Pablo Casals, stands alone as a dark and brooding masterpiece. This is the only suite with a manuscript in Bach’s autograph (found in its lute transcription), and through its scordatura tuning, the instrument’s resonance changes completely. The Prelude is set as a French Overture, found in none of the other five suites, with a slow introduction and a fast, technical fugue. The Sarabande, often described as “skeletal,” is the only movement which does not feature any rolled chords. 

Lamentations: Black/Folk Song Suite for Solo Cello

i. “Fuguing Tune”

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson

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Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson was an American composer whose works took inspiration from Black folk music, spirituals, and the blues. As the title “Fuguing Tune” suggests, the first movement of the suite draws from a traditional Fugue, found in much of classical literature, most notably the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. The movement has a strong, bluesy feel, conveyed by the cello’s rolled chords and rhythms. The four movements of the suite, as Perkinson explained, explore different aspects of African American music, telling a story, “the reflection and statement of a people’s crying out.”

Hohe Schule des Violoncellospiels, Op. 73 No. 20

David Popper

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David Popper wrote his Hohe Schule des Violoncello-Spiel (High School of Cello Playing) between the years of 1895-1898, as a set of forty etudes aimed for young cellists to build their technical ability. Now acclaimed as a foundational pillar of cello pedagogy, the Popper etudes are studied by cellists tackling challenging, virtuosic repertoire. Etude No. 20 features arpeggios, octaves, rolled chords, and shifts from one end of the fingerboard to the other.