Instrumentation: cello and piano

 

Duration: 7 minutes

 

Program Notes:

After viewing a television documentary on the history of Rock and Blues in America, I became fascinated with some of the techniques used in this music for expressive purposes. I wanted to incorporate some of these elements into my own writing without necessarily imitating any particular style. The rhythmic vitality and expressive pitch bending contained in some of this music were of particular interest to me. This work was one of the results. Dual Velocity was written for and premiered by the Fischer Duo in 1998. As the title suggests, it incorporates fast virtuosic passages in which the cello and piano interchange roles as virtuoso soloist versus accompanist. While composing this work, since this was to be a piece for the Fischer Duo, I tried to think of the character of their playing. Two things struck me: their passionate lyricism and their virtuosity. Therefore, I attempted to include both of these characteristics in this short work. The basic material for this piece comes from the usable pitches in the name FiSCHEr Duo (F, E-flat, C, B, E, D). This generates the lyrical opening – a solo cello line full of jazz inspired pitch bends. It also generates the furious ostinato figure that follows and returns throughout the course of the work.

 

-- Pierre Jalbert