In this fascinating and entertaining programme one of the UK’s most engaging cellists demonstrates the continuing presence of folk music in classical – from its roots in Syria through Baroque dances and Romantic influences right up to today’s electronic dance music.

Music Director of BBC2 TV’s Classical Star programme, Matthew Barley is passionate about education, improvisation, multi-arts projects, new music, and pioneering community programmes. He is a world-renowned cellist, who has performed in over 50 countries in many of the world’s great concert halls with orchestras including BBC Philharmonic, Vienna Radio Symphony, Czech Philharmonic, Melbourne and New Zealand Symphonies and the Kremerata Baltica.

Matthew Barley’s collaborations include Matthias Goerne, the Labeque Sisters, Viviane Hagner, Martin Frost, Thomas Larcher, Kit Armstrong, Amjad Ali Khan, Julian Joseph, Talvin Singh, Kathryn Tickell, Nitin Sawhney, and Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, and his new music group, Between The Notes, has undertaken over 60 creative projects with young musicians and orchestral players around the world.

Matthew’s critically acclaimed catalogue of CDs and DVDs has appeared on Black Box, Navras, Signum Classics and Onyx Classics including The Peasant Girl with his wife, Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova.

Programme

Matthew Barley
Improvisation on Gregorian Chant. Syrian Chant, and Syrian Folk themes

Domenico Gabrielli
Ricercar No. 6 in G (1689)

J.S. Bach
Suite no. 3 in C BWV 1008

Zoltan Kodaly
Solo cello Sonata, 1st movement

Benjamin Britten
Suite for solo cello Op. 87. No. 3

John Metcalfe
Constant Filter for cello and electronics (2006)

D.J. Bee/ Matthew Barley
Vanishing Tracks for cello and electronics