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Russian Rhapsody

by Marina Chistova

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2016
Duration
7'30''
Publisher
Kompozitor St Petersburg (Композитор • Санкт-Петербург)
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About this piece

Russian Rhapsody is a single-movement work for unaccompanied cello, written in 2016 and first published in 2019 by Kompozitor St Petersburg for the 130th anniversary of Anna Akhmatova's birth. The composer's video of its 2016 performance, by cellist Yaroslav Chistov at Moscow's Museum of Silver Age Literature, describes it as dedicated to the victims of Stalin's repressions and to Akhmatova's poem cycle Requiem, with a quatrain by Akhmatova as its epigraph. It opens with a slow Largamento and speeds up into more animated sections. The music moves through constantly changing meters (5/4, 6/4, 7/4, 3/4) and contrasts lyrical melody with col legno, left-hand pizzicato and loud multiple-stop chords.

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.