Instrumentation

picc.2.2.ca.2.bcl.2.cbsn – 4331 – Per(3): t.bells/tam-t/BD – strings

Availability

Score on special sale from the Hire Library, solo part, and parts for hire

Programme Notes

This concerto came together as an homage to the Sicilian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini, and attempts to reconcile the extraverted, romantic character of an orchestra with Charles Curtis’ introverted performance practice. Taking as its source material Trallallera, an Italian folksong performed by Maria Carta, I transcribed Carta’s performance with painstaking accuracy, to maintain her vibrancy and constant striving/soaring to the top of the phrase. Stripped of its context, I then harmonized the song, simply expanding it as a tip-of-the-hat to Bellini’s “long, long, long melodies.”

The piece is dedicated to the memory of Bob Gilmore, a man whose stories have lent meaning to our music-making. His work will continue to nourish our field for centuries to come.

Cassandra Miller

Duet for Cello and Orchestra

Aberdeen Music Hall (Aberdeen, United Kingdom)

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Ilan Volkov/Charles Curtis

Duet for Cello and Orchestra

City Halls (Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom)

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Ilan Volkov/Charles Curtis

Duet for Cello and Orchestra

La Maison Communale de Plainpalais (Geneva, Switzerland)

Charles Curtis/L'Orchestre de Chambre de Geneve/Kanako Abe

Duet for Cello and Orchestra

Ambika P3, University of Westminster (London, United Kingdom)

LCMF Orchestra/Jack Sheen/Anton Lukoszevieze

Duet for Cello and Orchestra

No Venue (Winnipeg, MB, Canada)

Charles Curtis/Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra