Benjamin Britten’s suites for solo cello have been extensively documented. The diversity and scope among various recordings of these works seems remarkable, given that the oldest of them was written only in 1964. Mstislav Rostropovich recorded his Decca accounts of Britten’s Op. 65 Cello Sonata and solo Suites Nos. 1 & 2 in the late 1960s. In the sonata, the partnership between composer and cellist produces a performance of unsurpassed natural authority. Rostropovich premiered Britten’s last cello suite on December 21, 1974. It was their last meeting; he never could bring himself to record it, and thus his cycle remains incomplete, which removes it from contention. Among those who have completed the trilogy, Pieter Wispelwey’s idiosyncratic account on Channel Classics deserves high praise, as does Torleif Thedéen’s arresting BIS cycle.
These suites are rapidly becoming the province of the young guns of the cello world. The latest, and in my view the most outstanding exploration yet, is this new cycle from Norwegian virtuoso Truls Mørk. These performances are exceptional in all respects. As a technician, Mørk is incredible–he overcomes the huge obstacles presented by this music with complete assurance. Take for example the Presto movement of Suite III; it’s rarely sounded completely in control on disc, but it does here. Although Mørk’s astounding mechanical ability enables him to regularly outclass Rostropovich, he also manages to engage the sensual and inward-looking aspects of this music with sensitivity. In the last suite, he gives a darkly measured reading, delivered with all the technical rigor you’d expect, and the Russian prayer for the dead at the close distills doubt and fragility through utmost simplicity of expression. These performances are effortlessly shaped, and the cellist is never tempted to push the music beyond its own naturally unfolding pace. An exceptionally moving disc, and in my estimation, the finest traversal of the Britten suites yet to be recorded.
