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Still Life with a Cello

by Hanna Kulenty

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
1993
Duration
4'
Publisher
PWM (Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne)
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About this piece

A four-minute piece for unaccompanied cello, commissioned by the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and written in Arnhem in spring 1993. Andrzej Bauer gave the premiere at the festival that year and recorded it in Warsaw in November 1993. It is a companion to Kulenty's Still Life with a Violin (1985). PWM's composer profile notes that both pieces play freely with time and use a restricted set of pitches, and that the cello piece is the more repetitive of the two, with more regular rhythmic patterns.

Technical overview

No technical overview is available yet.

Level rubric

Professional

Left Hand

  • Complete command of the fingerboard.
  • Proficient thumb position across all strings.
  • Execute complex double stops and rapid trills precisely.
  • Fast scales and leaps with precise intonation and speed.
  • Apply expressive techniques (portamenti, micro‑adjusted intonation) tastefully.
  • Easily execute false harmonics.

Right Hand

  • Seamlessly blends martelé, spiccato, sautillé, legato & ricochet.
  • Meticulous bow distribution for sustained lines or rapid passages.
  • Clear pianissimo to controlled fortissimo.
  • Economical, efficient bow movement with smooth transitions.
  • Employ advanced effects (ponticello, bow effects) artistically.

Musicality

  • Focus on a deeply personal, communicative performance.
  • Make interpretive choices reflecting deep understanding of form, style & emotion.
  • Convey nuanced phrasing, wide dynamic range & a unique artistic voice.
  • Craft dramatic cadenzas/solos with rubato, tone & expressive timing.

Levels are approximate guides, not strict requirements.