Skip to content

Model Citizens

by Svitlana Azarova

Instrumentation
Cello, Piano
Composed
2006
Duration
6'
Publisher
Composer (manuscript; copy on request)
More by this composer

Purchase or download

About this piece

A six-minute piece for cello and piano written in spring 2006 for cellist Doris Hochscheid and pianist Frans van Ruth, who commissioned it and gave the premiere in Kyiv on 4 October 2006, after a preview performance in Amsterdam on 29 September. It was Azarova's second commission in the Netherlands. The Dutch cello-sonata foundation Cellosonate describes its idiom as post-modernist, with the two instruments mostly in dialogue. The composer has said the title came to her while she was thinking about how to fit into Dutch musical life.

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.