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Cello Repertoire Initiative

Legend of Sigh

by Gity Razaz

Instrumentation
Cello, Accompanying Electronics
Composed
2015
Duration
20'
Publisher
Composer (self-published)
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About this piece

Legend of Sigh (2015) is a roughly 20-minute piece for cello with a pre-recorded cello track and electronics, written for and commissioned by the cellist Inbal Segev, with video and projection design by the filmmaker Carmen Kordas. It was workshopped at VisionIntoArt's FERUS Festival at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn in May 2015 and premiered at National Sawdust in February 2016 during Razaz's residency there. The piece retells an Azerbaijani folktale about Sigh, a mysterious being who appears whenever someone sighs from the heart; in Razaz's version a wealthy, isolated widow summons him and is carried through a series of new lives. Segev's recording is on Razaz's debut album The Strange Highway (BIS, 2022).

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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