Prokofiev, (G.): Concerto for turntables No 1 / Cello Concerto

Concerto for turntables No 1
Sometimes composers write a piece that takes on a life of its own, and that's what has happened to this concerto. Much credit is due to the phenomenal skills of Mr Switch who has become the unofficial lead soloist of this work. His performance with the National Youth Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski at the BBC Proms in 2011 was the turning point for the concerto; the video had soon reached audiences and orchestras all over the world, and since then there have been over 55 performances of the concerto worldwide, and 20 performances of the 5th movement as part of the BBC's Ten Pieces project.

Cello Concerto
Back in 2012, the Cello Concerto was the third concerto that I had composed, and was perhaps my most traditional, considering that the two previous concertos had the unconventional soloists of turntables and bass drum. However, I continued my interest in taking influences from electronic and contemporary dance music styles, as well as from classical and modern classical forms; so that this concerto explores both the more traditional and lyrical aspects of the cello as well as syncopated, percussive and minimal approaches.