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About this piece
Anna Clyne composed DANCE for cello and orchestra in 2019 on a commission from the Israeli cellist Inbal Segev; the Cabrillo Festival describes it as co-commissioned with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the score is dedicated to the composer's father, Leslie Clyne. Segev gave the world premiere on 3 August 2019 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium with the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra under Cristian Măcelaru. Each of its five movements takes its title from a line of a poem attributed to Rumi ("Dance, when you're broken open. / Dance, if you've torn the bandage off..."). Gramophone called it "a cello concerto in all but name" whose finale brings "a bear-hug of a theme" out of "angry, percussive col legno snaps", and NPR's Tom Huizenga called it "perhaps her most ambitious and appealing work so far". Clyne has said the last melody reflects Segev's Jewish heritage. Segev recorded it with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Marin Alsop (Avie AV2419), and Clyne's website reports more than 12 million Spotify plays. Boosey & Hawkes publishes the work and offers the orchestral score and parts for rental only.
Technical overview
About 25 minutes in five movements: I. when you're broken open; II. if you've torn the bandage off; III. in the middle of the fighting; IV. in your blood; V. when you're perfectly free. The solo part changes character in each movement, from a slow, plaintive, lyrical opening to folk-inflected melodies. Reviewers describe sustained singing lines set against orchestral col legno and other percussive effects.