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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Transitions

by Anna Thorvaldsdottir

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2014
Duration
11'
Publisher
Chester Music
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About this piece

Commissioned by and dedicated to cellist Michael Nicolas and written in 2014, Transitions explores the theme of 'man and machine'. The cellist embodies both: an expressive, emotional manner on one side and exact rhythmic and technical precision on the other, with the two approaches gradually transitioning into one another over the course of the piece. It was premiered in Chicago in February 2015 and recorded by Nicolas on the Sono Luminus album In the Light of Air.

Technical overview

Alternates between free, expressive playing and strictly measured mechanical precision; employs a wide range of extended techniques including whispery bowings and false harmonics, and works in the space between tonality and microtonality, requiring the player to inhabit unfamiliar sounds with conviction.

Technical focus

  • Harmonics

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.

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