Classical Music | Cello Music

Igor Stravinsky

Suite Italienne for Cello and Piano  Play

Alexei Romanenko Cello
Christine Yoshikawa Piano

Recorded on 07/28/2010, uploaded on 01/19/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Introduzione; Serenata; Aria; Tarantella; Minuetto; Finale

In 1919, ballet impresario Serge Diaghilev commissioned Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971) to compose a ballet based on themes taken from 18th century composer Giambattista Pergolesi's compositions.  The resulting Pulcinella marked Stravinsky's first foray into the neo-classical style, and he himself described it as "the epiphany through which the whole of my late work became possible."

 

In 1922, Stravinsky completed the Pulcinella Concert Suite, extracted from the original ballet score. The work was premiered that same year by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Pierre Monteux. Similarly, he extracted excerpts from the ballet to create arrangements for instrumental duos beginning in 1925 with the Suite for Violin and Piano. In collaboration with cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, Stravinsky arranged the violin suite into the Suite Italienne for Cello and Piano in 1932.      Christine Yoshikawa