Skip to content
Cello Repertoire Initiative

Fantasy Variations

by Shulamit Ran

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
1979
Duration
14'
Publisher
Theodore Presser Company
More by this composer

Purchase or download

About this piece

An unaccompanied theme and four variations composed in 1979 and revised in 1984, commissioned by and dedicated to cellist André Emelianoff, who gave the world premiere at Carnegie Recital Hall on 24 November 1980. Two ideas from the opening, including a brooding introductory line that returns at key structural points, are transformed across the work. Recorded by Natasha Brofsky for New World Records.

Technical overview

A substantial single-span solo (about 14 minutes) built as theme and four variations; the material is continually transformed, with the brooding opening line recurring at structural turning points.

Level rubric

Advanced

Left Hand

  • Unrestricted fingerboard operation.
  • Effortless high‑register passages with thumb position.
  • Execute large leaps, rapid shifts & fast runs with precise intonation.
  • Render double stops with clarity and even vibrato.
  • Crisp, stylistically appropriate ornamentation (trills, turns, mordents).
  • Instinctive micro‑adjustments in intonation for expressiveness.
  • False harmonics in low positions

Right Hand

  • Complete command of all bow strokes at any tempo/dynamic.
  • Comfortable execution of virtuoso passages (sautillé, intricate ricochet).
  • Tone projection from whisper‑quiet to fortissimo.
  • Integrate advanced bow patterns with expressive phrasing.
  • Demonstrate technical precision with a broad dynamic range.

Rhythm & Musicality

  • Interpret large‑scale structures with nuanced pacing and rhythmic freedom.
  • Highly refined phrasing with subtle note grouping & expressive rubato.
  • Convey emotional depth and stylistic authenticity.
  • Incorporate personal interpretive choices while meeting stylistic demands.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.

Music

Recently AddedThe newest additions

About

Our MissionResource CatalogContributeContact Us