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Even the Stones Breathe

by John Kennedy

Instrumentation
Cello
Composed
2011
Duration
8'
Publisher
SFNM Editions (composer's imprint)
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About this piece

Even the Stones Breathe (2011) is an eight-minute piece for unaccompanied cello that John Kennedy wrote for cellist Rhonda Rider's 2010–11 artist residency at Grand Canyon National Park. Its title and epigraph come from a passage by the writer Frank Waters about everything in nature being alive. Marked 'Spacious, slowly evolving', it moves from long, quiet notes that shift between ordinary tone and a granular 'rough bow' sound, through rhapsodic and intense middle sections with chords and high harmonics, to a calm close 'receding into the distance'. Rider recorded it on her album The Grand Canyon Project (MSR Classics, 2013), which collects ten solo-cello pieces by different composers written for the residency.

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.