Cello recital by candlelight

This solo recital will feature both the classical and the baroque instrument, a juxtaposition not often found in concerts. The differences in sound and expression between the two instruments become very clear when they are heard next to each other. The gut-strung baroque cello will be played with a lowered top string, a tuning practice that originated in 17th century Bologna to be able to play specific combinations of notes not otherwise possible. The lower tension of the string on the instrument also produces a very resonant and dark sound and I believe this is why Bach decided to use this Bolognese tuning for his 5th cello suite in c minor, a key he used to portray characters of seriousness, sorrow, dignity, and dramatic and passionate intensity - moods that are amplified by the dark and rich timbre of the detuned cello. Following this idea, I will perform a viola da gamba Fantasy and a Scandinavian Christmas carol that I have specifically transcribed for the occasion and for the tuned baroque cello. The characters of these pieces are especially suited to this darkness.

The programme is also exploring an aspect of historical programming where only a selection of a work is performed instead of in its entirety, and where movements of a work is interspersed with contrasting music, performed as if they belong to a single work. To me, this produces the opportunity of musical reflection and contrast and gives the space and attention each piece deserves and needs. Among these pieces is one of my own compositions, written after an inspirational hike in the Peak District and which tries to capture some of its autumnal colours, the vast open space of the district, and the gentle animal life one finds there. The Cassado Solo Suite gives that contrasting exuberance needed to balance out a reflective and more introvert repertoire as well as making a link to the Catalan song at the end of the concert. The one movement from Ligeti, named Dialogo, dialogue, presents a different approach to dialogue in music, the aspect Bach was such a master of, and which so clearly comes out in his cello suites. The recital will end with a hope for peace in the world and a reminder of what Christmas is about, through O come, O come, Emmanuel, and the Catalan Christmas carol Song of the Birds, which cellist Pablo Casals made synonymous with peace, especially in his homeland Catalonia, but now very relevant for Ukraine and Gaza.

The candle lit setting will provide a warm and intimate feel to the concert, and I hope you will join me in this musically embracing experience.

Programme:

- Scandinavian Christmas Carol: Mitt hjerte alltid vanker (My Heart Always Lingers)

- Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe (1640-1700): Fantasie for viola da gamba in e minor

- Jean Daniel Braun (1703-1738):

o Largo – Double from Suite No 4 in g minor

- E. Vestby (1992- ): Pictures from the Moor

o Capriccio allegro

- J.S. Bach (1685-1750): Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639

o Menuet from Suite No 5 in g minor

- G. Cassado (1897-1966): Suite for solo cello, 1st and 3rd movements

Interval

- G. Ligeti (1923-2006): Sonata for solo cello – 1. Dialogo

- J.S. Bach (1685-1750): Toccata (Adagio), BWV 564

- J.S Bach (1685-1750): Solo Suite No 5

- 15th century French: O come, o come Emmanuel

- P. Casals (1876-1973): Song of the birds

Norwegian cellist Erlend Vestby is in high demand as a chamber musician, frequently performing with small ensembles and chamber orchestras, often as guest principal. This includes Opera Holland Park, Brandenburg Sinfonia and Baroque Soloists, Florilegium, Orchestra Nova, the Dutchess of Edinburgh String Orchestra, Piccadilly Sinfonietta, Gabrieli, Gothic Opera and Sinfonia Smith Square. He has been a soloist with various orchestras both in the UK and abroad. As a recitalist he has appeared on Classic FM, the London Festival of Baroque Music and Dart Music Festival. Erlend is a graduate of the Royal College of Music kindly supported by the Anglo-Norse Society. Erlend’s versatile musicality makes him not only a performer, but also a composer, teacher, and a keen researcher and lecturer on early 18th and early 20th century performance practices where the music of Bach and Elgar stand central.

www.erlendvestby.no

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