Commissioned by David Cohen. Premiered by David Cohen and the Rambert Orchestra, conducted by Paul Hoskins at Shoreditch Church (St. Leonard's) as part of the 2013 Spitalfields Festival.

  • 1111/1000/str(1.1.1.1.1)
  • Cello
  • 25 min
    • 10th October 2024, Stormen, Bodø, Norway
    • 24th October 2024, The Spa, Bridlington, United Kingdom
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Programme Note

Katharsis is variously inspired by the ‘cello suites' of Bach and Britten, my relationship with the ‘cello', the life of a classical musician in modern times (where ‘stars’ can be born overnight with the help of stylists and Saturday night telly) and my time so far as the third Music Fellow with Rambert Dance. It is a twenty minute piece comprising six (sometimes continuous) movements: Prelude, Moto Perpetuo, Minuet and Trio, Sarabande, Gavotte and Canto.

I was thrilled when David Cohen approached me with this commission: having known him since he was a teenager (we both went to the Yehudi Menuhin School, in the days when I was sure that upon graduating I would immediately and effortlessly embark on a career as an International Concert ‘Cellist) I feel particularly privileged to have witnessed the development of his playing over the years, and this was at the forefront of my mind whilst writing Katharsis.

My determination to be a composer was ignited during the premiere of my Concertino for ‘Cello and Orchestra', performed by Peter Dixon and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra as part of the BBC Young Composer Competition in 1996. The completion of this new work for ‘cello and ensemble some seventeen years later is therefore replete with musical and personal significance for me.

© Cheryl Frances-Hoad 2013

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