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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Three Chorales

by Judith Weir

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
2016
Duration
14'
Publisher
Chester Music (Wise Music Classical)
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About this piece

Three pieces for cello and piano, about 14 minutes in all, commissioned by the Boston cellist Jonathan Miller. Miller premiered them with pianist Randall Hodgkinson at Hamilton Hall, Salem, Massachusetts, on 23 September 2016. Weir describes them as meditations on images from religious poetry. "Angels bending near the earth" takes its title from Edmund Sears's carol It came upon the midnight clear, with piano arpeggios sweeping around the cello. "In death's dark vale", a paraphrase of Psalm 23, sets a hurried cello line against shifting piano chords. "O sapientia" is a set of calm variations on Hildegard of Bingen's hymn O virtus sapientiae. Miller and Hodgkinson recorded the set for Albany Records.

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.

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