Repertoire › Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72: 3. Serenata. Allegretto pizzicato › What to play next
What to play after Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72: 3. Serenata. Allegretto pizzicato ?
Benjamin Britten · difficulty 67/100

Choose your level of commitment: consolidate, move up a tier or prepare a challenge. The top-ranked cards combine difficulty, risk, shared skills and confidence.

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Gentle step

The safest next step.

Gentle
Sonata for solo cello, op. 101: II. Fugare. Allegro risoluto
Vagn Holmboe
72/100 +5 pts 7-14 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Legato d'archet (violoncelle) and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Gentle
Suite no. 1 for Solo Cello
Ernest Bloch
71/100 +4 pts 7-14 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Intonation (violoncelle) and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Gentle
Cello Suite no. 2, op. 80: III. Scherzo. Allegro molto
Benjamin Britten
73/100 +7 pts 7-14 weeks
close skills low risk fair confidence
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Intonation (violoncelle) and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Gentle
Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72: 4. Marcia. Alla marcia moderato
Benjamin Britten
70/100 +3 pts 6-12 weeks
close skills low risk fair confidence
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Détaché (violoncelle) and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Gentle
Cello Suite no. 5 in C minor, BWV.1011
Johann Sebastian Bach
74/100 +7 pts 7-14 weeks
partial transfer low risk to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Intonation (violoncelle) and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced step

A genuine step up, without a jolt.

Balanced
Suite no. 3 for Solo Cello
Ernest Bloch
77/100 +11 pts 14-28 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Intonation (violoncelle) and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced
Suite no. 2 for Solo Cello
Ernest Bloch
77/100 +10 pts 14-28 weeks
close skills moderate risk to confirm
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). New compared with the previous piece: Intonation (violoncelle) and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced
Solo Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72
Benjamin Britten
76/100 +10 pts 14-28 weeks
close skills moderate risk fair confidence
A real step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Position du pouce and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced
Solo Cello Suite no. 2, op. 80
Benjamin Britten
80/100 +13 pts 16-32 weeks
close skills moderate risk fair confidence
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Style baroque and Ornements baroque — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Ambitious challenge

A useful leap with guided practice.

Challenge
Cello Suite no. 6 in D major, BWV.1012
Johann Sebastian Bach
85/100 +18 pts 32-64 weeks
partial transfer high risk to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Lecture clé d'ut et de sol and Intonation (violoncelle) — reading the score is itself an obstacle before technique: budget time for plain reading.
Challenge
Concerto-Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra in D minor
Aram Khachaturian
85/100 +18 pts 32-64 weeks
partial transfer high risk to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Octaves and Style moderne et contemporain — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Challenge
Cello Concerto no. 1 in E flat major, op. 107
Dmitri Shostakovich
82/100 +15 pts 32-64 weeks
new reflexes moderate risk to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Indépendance des mains and Style moderne et contemporain — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level

To widen the repertoire without raising the level.

Same level
Cello Suite no. 3 in C major, BWV.1009
Johann Sebastian Bach
66/100 -1 pts 4-7 weeks
partial transfer low risk to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Intonation (violoncelle) and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level
Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72: 1. Fuga. Andante moderato
Benjamin Britten
66/100 -1 pts 4-7 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Intonation (violoncelle) and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Same level
Cello Suite no. 1, op. 72: 2. Lamento. Lento rubato
Benjamin Britten
65/100 -2 pts 4-7 weeks
close skills low risk to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Intermediate (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. What changes is the skill in play: Intonation (violoncelle) and Style baroque — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Progressions computed from difficulty, skill overlap and style between works. A What do we play next? recommendation should remain a pedagogical starting point, not an automatic prescription.