Tachophobia
a sonata for solo cello
Richard Whalley
£5.99 – £8.99
a sonata for solo cello
Composer | Richard Whalley |
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Year of Composition | 2008 |
Duration | ca.20' |
ISMN | 9790570682317 |
Composer | |
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Instrumentation | |
Student Difficulty |
Categories (all composers) | Cello, Strings, Strings, Student Selection |
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Catalogue ID | ce-rw1t1 |
Notes
This cello sonata takes two very different sources for its inspiration: J.S. Bach and
Tarantino’s film Deathproof (2007). Bach speaks for himself: how can one not think of
him when writing for cello? Where Tarantino’s orgy of fast cars, beautiful women, a
twisted predatory male and adrenalin fits in perhaps takes more explanation. In
writing this piece two qualities of Tarantino’s film impressed me: its gutsy yet
intimate cinematography (there are no special effects; all stunts are real) and its
simple black-and-white symmetrical structure, causing the second half of the film to
be viewed in a particular way having been set up by the first half.
The sound of the cello is remarkable for its expressive range. From darkly sinister to
highly-strung intensity to the sweetest lyricism, perhaps no instrument lends itself
better to a musical representation of the qualities I was impressed by in Deathproof.
The four movement structure – inspired by the symmetry of the film – is designed to
exploit contrast. Thus the four movements are organised: lyrical/dark – physical/light
– lyrical/light – physical/dark. The climactic final movement is in fact an attempt to
depict the intense speed, physical excitement, and inescapable fear of a car chase.
This sonata was composed for the cellist Oliver Coates during the spring and
summer of 2008.