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Cello Repertoire Initiative

if these walls

by Nina Shekhar

Instrumentation
Cello Ensemble
Composed
2021
Duration
6'
Publisher
Composer (self-published)
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About this piece

if these walls (2021) is a duet for two cellos of about six minutes. Leighton Fong and Tanya Tomkins of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble gave the premiere in a filmed concert from Berkeley in March 2021, and it was heard again that July at the Bowdoin International Music Festival's Gamper Festival of Contemporary Music. The composer's only program note is a two-line epigraph adapted from the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, about a 'we' that cannot be put back together.

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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