Scarlett’s top 5 favorite cello music

Did you have that too, that when you started playing the cello you had a piece in your head that you hoped you would play someday? With me, it was Bach’s first cello suite, as with so many. But over the years I got to know more and more pieces. When I was 19 I got my first cello lesson from Ellis Moorman. I will never forget that lesson.

I came from a family where no classical music was played so I didn’t have a lot of luggage; I sucked it all up like a sponge.

Now I want to share my top five favorite cello music with you as cellists among each other.

Favorite 1

L. von Beethoven sonata five in D, second movement Adagio;

Favorite 2

L. von Beethoven Bei Maennern welche liebe fuehlen… Theme from Mozart’s Zauberfloete

Weer Beethoven… What a sweetness: E flat large, such a positive key; not too spicy, mellow chops on the bass key. A theme with variations allows you to show your colours and different and different qualities to the listener. I love themes with variations. I played this work during masterclasses with a.o. Marien van Staalen, Quirien Viersen; delicious!

Favorite 3

O. Respighi Adagio con variazione

What a work, what variations, so cellistically, and melodious so…sigh…

I’m not a Misha fan; in fact, he does all kinds of things here that are not in the music at all but the colour of his furious cello makes me choose this clip and a technical detail. Note where Misha strikes; piano insert at the… comb! Show projection in optima forma. Do it after!

Favorite 4

Bach suite 5, C small with scordatura; hmmmmm… (Scordatura is a string twisted higher or lower than its original height)

Because the A string is twisted to a G, the cello resonates so insanely beautiful in the c minor piece. It starts with a great recitative to turn into a polyphonic fugue. I worked very hard on this, came from afar in search of a beautiful interpretation. I played it at my final exam. It had to be played by heart, because this prelude is four pages long and it cannot be turned over. My teacher had given me permission to sit down pages 3 and 4 in front of me and then turn pages 1 and 2 out of my head. Do you understand how I felt halfway through page two? “Am I gonna make it, am I gonna make it?” And that doubt got me out.

Favorite 5

Finally, the third movement, slow movement from Elgar’s Cello concert. That this is not more often in cello collection albums is a mystery to me. I fall like a block for the fingering / position change moments in the first 8 bars of Yo Yo!