Cello Concerto
for cello and orchestra (1989)

Listen to an excerpt (313K MP3)

17 minutes

Written in 1989 as a commission from Gary Williams, Principal Cello of the Queensland Symphony, the Cello Concerto comprises two movements of contrasting tempo and mood. The first is slow and nostalgic in character while the second is imbued with rhythmic energy and vibrant orchestral colours. In commissioning the work, Gary made two requests; that I write a movement based on a melancholic cantabile theme and include an extensive section for cello and percussion. The principal theme of the first movement fulfils the first request and the second movement contains a canon for cello and two percussion instruments sounded against a veiled and sustained string background.

Both movements are episodic in form. In the first movement the opening theme is presented three times, each time in a different orchestral context. The second time it is played by the oboe with the cello weaving a counter melody around it. Its third appearance is in the upper tessitura of the cello against a background of pastel shimmering orchestral ambience. In the second movement this theme is recalled fleetingly on the solo violin, just prior to the Doppler-like canon. Towards its conclusion the piece builds in moto perpetuo fashion with the cello diving the music ever forwards.

© 2001 Philip Bracanin