·        Malcolm Arnold Fantasy op 130

·        J.S. Bach 6 Suites

·        Benjamin Britten 3 Suites, Sacher Theme

·        Michael Berkeley Iberian Notebook

·        Hans Bottermund Variations on a Theme of Paganini

·        Charles Camilleri 6 Arabesques, Fantasia Concertante, Solo sonata

·        Gaspar Cassado Suite

·        George Crumb Sonata

·        Henri Dutilleux 3 Strophes on Sacher

·        Paul Hindemith Sonata op 25 no.3

·        Alberto Ginastera Punena no.2

·        Gordon Jacob Serenade

·        Richard Roderick Jones Sea Dances, Arias & Refrains

·        Zoltan Kodaly Solo Sonata op 8, Capriccio

·        Gyorg Ligeti Sonate (1948-53)

·        Lutoslaswski Sacher Variations

·        Paganini Silva Various Caprices

·        Sergei Prokofiev March

·        Miklos Rosza Toccata Capricciosa op 36 

·        Param Vir Flame

·        William Walton Passacaglia

·        Judith Weir Unlocked

·        Iannis Xenakis Nomos A

Recent projects...

30 April 2010

ROSTROPOVICH'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT

St Mary's, Shrewsbury

St. Mary's Church was the venue for a musical world premiere when cellist Richard Jenkinson presented a programme entitled "Homage to Paul Sacher". This was devised by the great cellist Rostropovich as a 70th birthday gift for Paul Sacher, a distinguished musician and patron of the arts. The result was twelve pieces for unaccompanied cello; the composers did not all complete their works in time so the collection was never heard in its entirety until this Shrewsbury recital. The Shropshire Music Trust deserves congratulations for the bold decision to provide a forum for such a challenging programme.

The starting point for each piece was a six note motif, the letters S, A, C, H, E, R - the dedicatee's name. Benjamin Britten contributed a brief Tema, one of his very last works, which has all the hallmarks of the great composer’s work. It is a beautiful piece, paying tribute to the Baroque era.

The other pieces were by a group of composers who formed a select circle of Sacher's friends. They are not equally well-known; some are household names such as Lutoslawski, Holliger, and Ginastera, whereas others were new to some of us.

It is not possible to mention each piece, but they formed a fascinating group. Ginastera’s "Punena No.2" is a brilliant, vivacious piece worthy of repeated hearing, a nice contrast to Berio's contribution. These, as with all the other items, were played by Mr. Jenkinson with a glorious full tone and were each introduced by him in a helpful way.

Many of the compositions were challenging on a first hearing so I hope that Richard Jenkinson will record the whole programme.

Andrew Petch