Suite italienne for cello and piano (1920–32)

The Suite italienne derives from Stravinsky’s score for the ballet Pulcinella first performed in Paris in 1920. The most popular version of the score, a stylish and witty compilation of bits and pieces by the 18th-century Italian composer Pergolesi, is the orchestral suite compiled by Stravinsky in 1922. The two Suites italiennes arranged ten years later – one for violin and piano, the other for cello and piano – are based on not quite the same material. The Introduzione, corresponding to the Overture to the ballet, and the Serenata, a charming Neapolitan serenade, are much the same in the violin and cello version. The Aria, on the other hand, is peculiar to the cello suite. Originally a bass aria, it is particularly well suited to the cello both for its playfully aggressive opening section and its expressive second half. The Tarantella is a frantic study in moto perpetuo. The Minuetto e Finale are the last two movements not only of all three suites but also of the ballet itself, where a solemn minuet is inflated to such a size that it eventually explodes with so much energy as to sustain a brilliantly conclusive Molto vivace.

The Suite italienne derives from Stravinsky’s score for the ballet Pulcinella first performed in Paris in 1920.    The most popular version of the score, a stylish and witty compilation of bits and pieces by (or attributed to) the 18th-century Italian composer Pergolesi, is the orchestral suite compiled by Stravinsky in 1922. The two Suites italiennes arranged ten years later – one for violin and piano, the other for cello and piano – are based on not quite the same material. The Introduzione, corresponding to the Overture to the ballet, and the Serenata, a charming Neapolitan serenade, are much the same in the violin and cello version. The Aria, originally a bass aria, and the Tarantella, a frantic study in moto perpetuto, are peculiar to the cello suite. The Minuetto e Finale are the last two movements not only of all three suites but also of the ballet itself, where a solemn minuet is inflated to such a size that it eventually explodes with so much energy as to sustain a brilliantly conclusive Molto vivace.