The ''Suite'' (formerly and alternatively entitled ''Divertimento'') is a composition for solo

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

by Polish composer

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...

. The piece is well known for its typical chromatic melodies and for its recurrent use of pizzicati and

col legno In music for bowed string instruments, , or more precisely ; ), is an instruction to strike the string with the stick of the bow across the strings. History The earliest known use of in Western music is to be found in a piece entitled "Hark ...

Background

Initially entitled ''Divertimento'', ''Suite'' was written over the course of twenty years and had many additions and revisions. Penderecki initially wrote this suite for solo cello as part of a musical collaboration with fellow cellist

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

which started with the Cello Concerto No. 2 and which went on for more than twenty years. It consisted of only three movements: ''Serenade'', ''Scherzo'', and ''Notturno'', all of them composed in 1994 and premiered on December 28, 1994, in

Köln Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

by Boris Pergamenschikow. The ''Suite'' was initially dedicated to Pergamenschikow and commissioned by KölnMusik. The composition was later revisited many times over the years until its completion in 2013. ''Sarabande'' followed in June 15, 2001, performed by the dedicatee in

Ludwigsburg Ludwigsburg (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a Cities of Germany, city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg (district), Lu ...

. After that, ''Tempo di Valse'' was premiered at the

Kronberg Academy The Kronberg Academy is a Private university, private music school for string instrumentalists based in Kronberg im Taunus, Germany. Founded in 1993 by Raimund Trenkler, the academy trains a select group of young musicians who have the potential ...

Kronberg Kronberg im Taunus (, ) is a town in the Hochtaunuskreis district, Hesse, Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. Before 1866, it was in the Duchy of Nassau; in that year the whole Duchy was absorbed into Prussia. Kronberg lies ...

, on October 21, 2004, in a memorial concert for Pergamenschikow performed by

Claudio Bohórquez Claudio is an Italian and Spanish first name. In Portuguese, it is accented Cláudio. In Catalan and Occitan, it is Claudi, while in Romanian it is Claudiu. Origin and history Claudius was the name of an eminent Roman gens, the most importan ...

. The ''Aria'' was the next movement to be composed, which was premiered by

Michel Strauss Michel Strauss (born 1951, in Paris) is a French cellist. Strauss was educated by Paul Tortelier and Maurice Gendron at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won first prizes in cello and in chamber music, before continuing his studies at Yale Univ ...

on September 2, 2006, at the Musée d'art américain in

Giverny Giverny () is a Communes of France, commune in the northern French Departments of France, department of Eure.Festival de Musique de Chamber à Giverny 2006. The ''Allegro con bravura'' was premiered by

Arto Noras Arto Noras (born 12 May 1942, in Turku) is a Finnish cellist who is one of Finland's most celebrated instrumentalists and amongst the most outstanding internationally acknowledged cellists of his generation. At the age of 8, Arto Noras starte ...

on February 20, 2010, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and, finally, the ''Preludio'' was premiered between April 16 and 27, 2013, in

, at the fifth International Paulo Cello Competition. It was published several times by

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass instrument, brass, string instru ...

and

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

to include the different expansions to the suite. However, the final version was dedicated to

and published by

in 2014.

Composition

This composition takes approximately 20 minutes to perform. The movement list is as follows: Penderecki himself arranged some of the movements of this composition for

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

for separate performance, among them ''Sarabande'', which he rearranged in 2000.

Notable recordings

Since the composition was completed in 1994 but subsequently expanded, recordings initially omitted several movements when they were released. Here is a list of notable partial recordings of this composition:

Footnotes

References

{{Krzysztof Penderecki Compositions by Krzysztof Penderecki 2013 compositions Solo cello pieces

Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...