Skip to content

Pièce pour violoncelle et piano

by Claude Vivier

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
1975
Duration
9'
Publisher
Boosey & Hawkes

Purchase or download

About this piece

One of a set of short pieces for two performers that Vivier wrote in 1975 for the Tremplin International of the Concours de musique du Canada in Montreal (the companions are for flute, violin, violin and clarinet, bassoon and guitar). The cello-and-piano piece was premiered after the competition and runs about nine minutes. Boosey & Hawkes publishes it worldwide (ISMN 9790051106165, 8 pages), and it offers teachers a rare, approachable way into the sound-world of Canada's most celebrated composer of his generation.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

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.