Cello Recital 4/ September brief programme notes:

Bach’s first Suite for solo cello needs little introduction and indeed itself serves as an introduction to the other pieces in this programme. Composers for the last two hundred years who have written for solo cello inevitably have Bach’s Suites hovering over their shoulder. Britten followed Bach’s tradition with three suites for solo cello and in this one he takes us on a journey from the bleak Suffolk mud-flats of Aldeburgh, to the colourful grandeur and solemnity of Russia. Throughout the Suite, Britten refers to russian folk music in honour of the piece’s dedicatee, the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. In his Sonata, Ligeti also pays homage to the folk tradition, in this case basing his melody on ancient modal tunes preserved through the Eastern European tradition.

Joy Lisney biography:

Joy Lisney's early promise as a cellist was highlighted by Carlton Television when they chose her, at the age of six, as a possible high achiever of the twenty first century.

She has since fulfilled expectations with a distinguished international career as cellist, composer and conductor, launched by a debut series of concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw in 2012. Alongside her solo engagements Joy performs regularly in a chamber music setting and has worked with artists including the Allegri, Dante and Endellion Quartets, Michael Whight, James Gilchrist and Dame Emma Kirkby. As a soloist she has worked with conductors including Howard Williams and Sir Stephen Cleobury as well as directing concerti from the cello.

In addition, Joy is the conductor of the Seraphin Project Orchestra and has worked with other orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic. She was Composer in Residence for Cambridge University during her first year as a PhD candidate, has written for artists including the Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Recherche and the Dante Quartet and had music performed in major concert halls across Europe.

Joy plays on a Seraphin violoncello (c. 1750) generously provided by Beare Violins