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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Over the Himalayas

by Kristin Flores

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2021
Duration
5'
Publisher
Canadian Music Centre (unpublished; CMC print, call no. MI 3113 F634ove 2021)
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About this piece

A solo depicting the twice-yearly flight of bar-headed geese over the Himalayas. It opens with a five-note motive from Vaughan Williams's The Lark Ascending and climbs as the geese do, then descends in a retrograde of the opening. Trills and tremolo for the wingbeats, chords for the flock, and passages rocking the bow across all four strings. Commissioned by Emily Hiemstra; also available for solo violin and solo viola.

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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