Suite for Two Cellos (2017)

Commissioned by and dedicated to cellist Kellen Degnan

Duration 10 minutes

First Performance Kellen Degnan & Ben Rogers, cellists; Mixon Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music (Cleveland, OH), November 3, 2017.

Movements I. Prelude; II. Song; III. Shadows; IV. Parallels

Program Note “Each movement of the Suite is--to paraphrase Harriet’s own words--a meditation on different aspects of the same musical idea. The Prelude is an exploration of the sonic capabilities of two cellos playing as one. The second movement, Song, is the emotional and structural core of the piece. This movement is the only one whose texture is not predominantly homophonic. Instead, the two cellos engage in imitative interplay, alternately coming to the fore and receding, so that ultimately one long, unbroken phrase arches over the entire movement. The third movement, Shadows, is a glimpse of Harriet’s conception of the role of the second cello as a “shadow” part throughout this piece. Cello 1 carries the principal line for most of the movement, but Cello 2 is a constant companion, supporting with essential harmonic content and textural variations. Harriet describes the final movement, Parallels, as an “answer key” to the rest of the piece, distilling the parallel motion that is of varying degrees of importance in the other three movements and making it the sole focus. Through this work, Harriet has managed to find a delightful but elusive intersection of immediately accessible and deeply poignant.” Program Note ©2020 Kellen Degnan