Programme notes
SUITE no. 1 for solo cello was written in homage to the cello suites of Bach, and is also a portrait of two Greek friends who (after many vicissitudes and false starts) found happiness together. Written in May 2007 during a holiday on the island of Paxos, it contains something of the dappled light of the Ionian, and was written almost entirely out of doors in a state of partial undress under the influence of Kourtaki retsina and a rough red wine called Gambas. There are seven short movements which combine the traditional movements of the suite with dance-forms derived from Greek drama:
1. Prologos 2. Choros I 3. Choros II 4. Serenata 5. Strophe 6. Antistrophe 7. Choros III
Giles Swayne 2008
Recordings
Giles Swayne: Music for cello and piano
Robert Irvine (cello)
Fali Pavri (piano)
Delphian: DCD34073
Four lyrical pieces
Canto for cello
Sonata for cello and piano
Suite no. 1