Richard Rodney Bennett

Six Country Dances is an anthology of tunes from Playford’s ‘The English Dancing Master’ selected and arranged by Richard Rodney Bennett. Playford’s collection was first published in 1651 and contained 535 popular tunes for country dancing. Richard Rodney Bennett’s skilful and inspired arrangements are perfect for intermediate standard players adding as they do a contemporary slant to these classics of the English folk repertoire. This edition is for Viola and Piano.

After Ariadne was commissioned by the violist Paul Silverthorne who premièred it with Richard Rodney Bennett himself in 1987 at the Cheltenham Festival. This is based on the famous Monteverdi madrigal Lasciate Mi Morire.