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Matthew Barley, the world’s most adventurous cellist, last night gave a masterful solo cello recital at the British School Al-Khubairat as part of the 6th Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival. Barley performed works by Bach and improvised pieces on traditional and electric cellos in front of a delighted group.
Fitting Barley’s role as a pioneering figure in musical education as well as his status as a ground-breaking international cellist, his performance attracted an audience of more than 300 people including students who had taken part in the Festival’s educational programme, led by Barley.
Cellists hold Bach in high esteem for the contribution he made to the repertory of their instrument. Between 1717 and 1720, he composed six suites of six movements each which are to this day considered the greatest music ever written for unaccompanied cello and these formed the core of Matthew Barley’s well-received performance.
Barley played the six Preludes from Bach’s Six Suites for solo cello - Suite No.1in G major, Suite No.2 in D minor, Suite No.3 in C major, Suite No.4 in E flat major, Suite No.5 in C minor and Suite No.6 in D major – pieces which vary widely and often unpredictably in character. After performing the Prelude from each of these suites on traditional cello, Matthew Barley broke out into equally varied and unpredictable improvisations on electric cello.
According to Bach’s early biographer, Nikolaus Forkel, these suites were designed as instructional works or as “the best means to make an ambitious student a perfect master of his instrument” and Matthew Barley showed himself to be just that at the British School, with the crowd’s enthusiastic applause testament to his accomplished and innovative performance. Barley’s improvisational pieces were equally well received, with Barley using various tools to modify and overlay musical themes, forming a powerful counterpoint to the traditional segments.
Students, parents and music-lovers at the event echoed international press reviews of Barley’s previous performances, commenting on the strength and technical prowess of his playing, as well its ability to effect and move the captivated audience. So warm was the audience’s reaction that Barley returned to the stage to play an unplanned encore, choosing the Sarabande from Bach’s first cello suite.
Cello playing is at the centre of Matthew Barley’s career, while his musical world has virtually no geographical, social or stylistic boundaries. After training at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Moscow Conservatoire, Matthew’s activities in performance, improvisation, cross-disciplinary projects, composition, and pioneering community programmes soon developed to form a uniquely eclectic international career.
Matthew’s pioneering approach to education, community music and training orchestral players is now internationally renowned. In 1997, Matthew founded Between the Notes, a performance and education group currently featuring Peter Whyman (clarinet and soprano saxophone) and Fraser Trainer (pianist), who accompanied Matthew in this year’s Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival education programme of workshops and the Children’s Day performance. Students from Barley’s workshops who attended last night’s performance presented the inspirational cellist with a commemorative plaque in gratitude for his mentoring during this programme.
The 6th Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Festival runs until 2 April and is held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. It is presented by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation with executive producer IMG Artists, the world’s leading performing artist management company. The title sponsor of this year’s Festival is the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) and the other festival sponsors are Mubadala and Etihad Airways.
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