Cello and piano duo
Duration: 8′
Oxford University Press
Commissioned by Gemma Rosefield
First performance 7 January 2008 | Gemma Rosefield (cello) Nicola Eimer (piano) | Purcell Room, South Bank Centre
Programme note:
Falling Angels was commissioned by Gemma Rosefield for performance as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Concerts, January 2008.
Falling Angels, a meditation for cello and piano, draws inspiration from the book City of Falling Angels in which the writer, John Berendt, gives a richly atmospheric portrayal of Venice where decay and disintegration are part of the allure. The rhythm of the lagoon, the gentle tides and waves of the Adriatic, frame the city like the rhythm of breathing. Extended melodies contrast with fragmented, falling phrases, sometimes ghostly, in this reflection on a beautiful city. The title was suggested by the sign ‘Beware of falling angels’ which was posted outside the Santa Maria della Salute Church in the 1970s before the marble angels were restored.
Link to Score:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/falling-angels-9780193371668
Link to recording: