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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Sonata for Cello and Piano

by Richard Rodney Bennett

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
1991
Duration
21'
Publisher
Novello & Co
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About this piece

Commissioned by the Harrogate International Festival with funds from Yorkshire and Humberside Arts, and written for and dedicated to the cellist Alexander Baillie, the sonata was completed in New York on 2 October 1991. Its four movements are Allegro, Allegretto leggero, Feroce and Andante – Molto vivo, lasting about 21 minutes. Novello publishes the piano score and cello part (ISBN 9780711995130); Baillie played it again at his 60th-birthday concert in 2016.

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.

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