Britten Sinfonia / Abel Selaocoe

Beethoven String Quartet, Grosse Fuge Op. 133 (arr. strings)
Bartók Divertimento for String Orchestra BB 118
Tavener The Protecting Veil for cello and orchestra

Sensational cellist and rapidly rising star Abel Selaocoe, who made his BBC Proms debut in 2021, joins forces with the dynamic and trailblazing Britten Sinfonia, one of the world’s leading ensembles renowned for their adventurous programming and stunningly high-quality performances. 

Their NCH series début opens with Beethoven’s arresting Grosse Fuge, a piece that stunned listeners when it was first performed and to this day remains one of the most incredible pieces of music for the genre ever written.

To follow, Bela Bartók’s Divertimento for Strings; a piece written by the composer before he left fascist Europe for the life of an exile in New York City.

As if ushering us along the musical tides of history, we then hear Tavener’s late 20th-century classical composition The Protecting Veil. Commissioned by the cellist Steven Isserlis in 1988 and premiered at the BBC Proms the following year, The Protecting Veil subsequently proved to be one of the festival’s most popular and enduring commissions. It is described as a ‘profoundly beautiful modern classic’.

Presented by NCH