Skip to content

Signes

by Lotta Wennäkoski

Instrumentation
Cello, Organ
Composed
2025
Duration
6'30''
Publisher
Fennica Gehrman (9790550181038)
More by this composer

Purchase or download

About this piece

A piece of about six and a half minutes for cello and organ, written in 2025 for a project in which Anssi Karttunen and Olivier Latry commissioned and premiered duos in memory of Kaija Saariaho, Lotta Wennäkoski's former teacher. They gave the premiere at the Helsinki Music Centre on 10 November 2025. According to the publisher, it opens with a cello gesture Saariaho favoured, a low E-flat and its natural harmonic, and draws its material from the last movement of Wennäkoski's violin concerto Prosoidia, also dedicated to Saariaho.

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.