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Lili‘uokalani

by Luna Pearl Woolf

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2015
Duration
11'
Publisher
Oxingale Music
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About this piece

Lili‘uokalani is an eleven-minute solo for five-string cello piccolo, commissioned by Matt Haimovitz as an overture to Bach's Cello Suite No. 6 for his Overtures to Bach project and premiered by him at Miller Theater, New York, on 22 October 2015. It is a portrait of Hawaii's last monarch at the moment she lost her throne, drawing on Hawaiian chant (text from the Kumulipo creation chant is printed beneath the opening line) and on material from Woolf's opera Better Gods. The score includes percussive effects such as tapping and slapping the strings with the left hand, striking the instrument's body and ricochet battuto behind the bridge. It requires a five-string cello piccolo rather than a standard cello.

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.