CONCERTO FOR VIOLONCELLO AND ORCHESTRA (2024) OP.120

A Sonic Reflection Between Depths and Hope

Composed around the B-A-C-H motif in a homage to Johann Sebastian Bach – whose unwavering trust in God endured despite profound hardships- this piece embarks on an extraordinary journey through deep darkness and hope. With its rich textures and poignant expressivity, it crafts a spellbinding narrative across three organically unfolding movements, each flowing into the next with an inevitability that mirrors the cycles of struggle and renewal in human existence. From the first stirring notes to the final, enigmatic resolution, the composition captivates the listener, leaving an indelible mark on the soul.

First Movement: Lento. Allegro appassionato – The Ascent from the Depths

The piece opens with an evocative rising motion, much like a De Profundis, surging upwards from the abyss with an ever-intensifying urgency. This movement sets the foundation, establishing an atmosphere of raw emotional power where despair and hope entwine in an impassioned dialogue. As the momentum builds, the tension escalates, with abrupt shifts pointing out a natural necessity which invites the listener deeper into its unfolding power. The ascent is quite immediate, but not absolute, how could it! It wavers, struggles, but persists, setting the course for what follows.

Second Movement: Moderato, Più andante – A Moment of Reflection and Struggle

Rather than a stark contrast, the second movement emerges as a continuation, a moment of breath where the forces at play shift their focus inward. The themes do not merely evolve; they are shaped as well. Here, the echoes of past forms resurface – a waltz, not fully formed but attempted, as if reaching back toward something once known. It is an attempt to reclaim elegance or at least civilization in the face of uncertainty and despair. This waltz, stumbling yet persistent, bridges the movement toward what lies ahead, offering not resolution but a deeper understanding of the forces at play.

Third Movement: Allegro furioso – The Fight Between Inner and Outer Worlds

The final movement does not break away from the past; rather, it carries the weight of what came before. The turbulence that was once external is now both inward and outward, inseparable. The cello, as the voice of the individual, weaves through this storm, its course neither fully dictated by the surrounding forces nor entirely independent from them. In a moment of profound rupture, it breaks free – not as a final escape, but as a mighty search for meaning beyond the structure that has defined its journey. Yet, what follows is not mere return. The second attempt to break away is different – not a rebellion, but an evolution. The music does not declare victory, nor does it surrender. The final shift to a major key does not impose resolution but suggests transformation- not as a certainty, but as a, yet rather strong possibility that lingers, unresolved but undeniable, like the last glimmers of light on the horizon. This composition is a deeply interconnected meditation on existence, identity, and resilience. The journey does not end in absolute triumph, nor in despair, but in the powerful realization that change, however elusive, is always in motion and as long it is in motion there is hope. With its depth, complexity, and masterful subtlety, this work lingers in the mind long after the final note, an eternal reflection of the delicate balance between darkness and light, struggle and transcendence, within the human experience.

Claudia Schulze

Concerto in three movements with and under title “Shrines Of Memory” is to the first performer, the renown cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper.

It features an Epigraph

“…Au milieu de la haine, j’ai trouvé qu’il y avait en moi un amour invincible. Au milieu des larmes, j’ai trouvé qu’il y avait en moi un sourire invincible. Au milieu du chaos, j’ai trouvé qu’il y avait en moi un calme invincible.” Albert Camus

“…In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm.” Albert Camus