JOHNSTONE – Virtuoso Concert Pieces, Volume 3 (5 Pieces) – SOLO CELLO [only available in entirety from “Creighton’s Collection]

Movements or sections:
The intentions of these albums are quite simple: to produce extremely ‘useful pieces’ for the solo violoncello in a wide variety of twentieth century styles. It should be emphasised that the front title deliberately advocates that these are all concert and recital pieces and that is to be again endorsed now in these notes, but seeing that unfortunately the twentieth century as a whole produced a dearth of cello literature in the form of studies of different twentieth-century styles which could make worthy study for intermediate-advanced, music college and certainly professional levels also, these pieces are being considered as valuable contributions to contemporary cello playing and teaching, and all have received public performances by quite different kinds of cellists.
Each volume is a collection of five works in a quite consistent format. The first pieces in each volume are in twentieth-century classical styles but nearly always set within a traditional musical notation. The second and third pieces are in much more contemporary classical moods, and are rather more technically inventive allowing a more personal interpretation by the cellist with numerous contemporary musical effects, other notions of time and tempo, and frequent graphics present. The last two in each set are more popular works but always, it is hoped, with elegance and good taste. The fourth pieces are of lighter classical veins that include folk and ‘nationalistic’ elements, and the last work is where, above all, the popular-lighter music feeling shows itself most and where jazz swing rhythms are called for in varying degrees. So, there are some fifteen works in all, all dedicated to different cellists!
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Volume III –
Spiral Perpetuum
Satanic Dance
Marble Arch
Danzas de Galicia
Legato Blues