for: cello solo and orchestra (2-2-2-2; 2-2-1-0; 2p-pno; strings)
duration: 20 minutes
premiered: by Paul Marleyn, cello and the Thunder Bay Symphony,
April 3, 2008. Geoffrey Moull, conductor.
Manitoba Arts Council Major Arts Grant
Cello Concerto
- I) Intrados (Elegy)
- II) Extrados
This Cello Concerto is approximately 20 minutes in duration and is in two movements of nearly equal length titled, Intrados (Elegy) and Extrados. Both these terms come from the field of architecture. Intrados is the lower or inside curve of an arch and extrados is the opposite; the upper or outside curve of an arch. Generally speaking, this work follows a similar formal pattern.
Mvt I) Intrados (Elegy), presents an asymmetrical arch-form that folds in on itself. The overall mood of this movement is one of confinement and grief with glimpses of hope articulated through short quotes from Sinfonia No. 11 by J. S. Bach. An extended solo cadenza accounts for about a third of this movement.
Mvt II) Extrados, is much more positive in spirit. After a brief introduction, an agitated and restless figure in the solo cello sets the tone for the rest of the movement. This figure is transformed as the movement progresses and is reinterpreted in a much more positive light by the close of the work.
This work explores the complex and personal trajectory of mourning and is dedicated to the memory of my father, Christopher Robin Scott (1931-2007).