Divertimento for Cello and Piano
- Instrumentation
- Cello, Piano
- Composed
- 1943
- Duration
- 12'28''
- Publisher
- Alfred Lengnick & Co.
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About this piece
A witty, off-beat suite of five miniatures written in 1941-43 for the cellist William Pleeth and pianist Margaret Good, who gave the first broadcast on the BBC Latin American Service in March 1943. The opening Serenade, the longest movement, is suffused with Latin-American dance rhythms; 'Golubchik' turns to a Russian mood; 'The Clock' is a pizzicato tick-tock miniature that strikes nine; 'Vigil' is a vibrant, prayerful slow movement; and a dapper 'Masquerade' closes the set. Reviewers call it one of Maconchy's most characterful and approachable works.
Technical overview
Five short movements with contrasting characters, including a pizzicato movement ('The Clock') and a sustained slow 'Vigil'; one reviewer describes the set as 'skilfully written and idiomatic' with angular wit and a wide range of colours.