Très Lent (Hommage à Messiaen)
by Joan Tower
- Instrumentation
- Cello, Piano
- Composed
- 1994
- Duration
- 8'
- Publisher
- Associated Music Publishers
Purchase or download
About this piece
Written in 1994 as a homage to Olivier Messiaen, whose risk-taking, especially his use of very slow 'time' in both tempo and the flow of ideas, Tower came to love. She calls the piece her attempt to make 'slow' music work. It is dedicated to her longtime friend and colleague André Emelianoff, who premiered it with the composer at the piano at Merkin Concert Hall in 1994.
Technical overview
Very slow throughout: the challenge lies in sustaining tone and line over long spans, controlling bow distribution and dynamics, and pacing the slow unfolding of ideas together with the pianist.
Technical focus
- Legato