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Soliloquy 4 |
for solo cello
Soliloquy 4 is the latest piece in a sequence of works for solo string instruments, the others being for viola d’amore, violin and viola. the present work (together with those for violin and viola) has been commissioned by the distinguished teacher David Takeno.
It could be interpreted as a weakness on my part that in several recent works I have found it difficult to divorce my thoughts on composition from the appalling suffering that has been created by the Bush/blair invasion of Iraq and the consequences which so many of us predicted as a result. This has been the case with Soliloquy 4. It ranges over expressions of contemplation (the opening), compassionate sorrow (a sustained lament covering a five octave range) and anger (a vigorous, virtuosic toccata). The final section is an interplay of all these features. Describing the piece in these programmatic terms should not overshadow the intended abstract result behind the substance. If it had a more descriptive title it would be placed at the end of the piece à la Debussy. Instead, the audience is invited to put aside my description of the piece and submit to the artistry of the performer.
© Edwin Roxburgh