Berceuse & Sarabande

Colin Matthews’s Berceuse and Sarabande – together lasting 8 minutes – form the final two movements of his Suite for piano. Composed between 1976 and 1979 the five piece that make up the suite may be played as separate pieces, but they were originally intended to form a group. Whereas the Berceuse (dedicated to the composer’s son, who managed to sleep throughout the first performance) is very hushed, with a muted climax, the Sarabande (dedicated to Oliver Knussen) gradually increases in intensity until, after its climax, it quickly subsides.