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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Xénos

by Martyna Kosecka

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
2021
Duration
6'45''
Publisher
Donemus
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About this piece

Xénos (Greek for "stranger") for cello and piano was commissioned by and dedicated to Ensemble for These Times. Martyna Kosecka calls it "a six-step journey of two friends through different harmonic fields", moving from a greeting through conversation, hesitation, alienation and doubt to a warm, melancholic loneliness, with noises, cracks, harmonics and multiphonics shaping each step. The premiere, given at the Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków on 26 June 2022, is the linked video.

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.

Music

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