Cello Moods #2: In Flight
Formation northbound
And out of the percussion
A floating feather
Forest Dawn
Cello Moods #2: Forest Dawn
Through dense canopy
The cautious scent of first light
Paints a dawn chorus
Daybreak
Cello Moods #1: Daybreak
Shadows from before
Whisper secrets to the now
And mimic the trees
Back to Blogging
A brief post for now.
Yes, it has been several years since I last opened this blog editor and filled it with cello-y things. I have continued to be very busy doing cello-y things, but lost my blogging mojo along the way. So here I am, hoping to regain that mojo. My chief motivation to reawaken The Cello Companion is to share with you a project (cellocentric of course) that my other half and I have been working on.
In short, it’s an antidote to the increasingly fractious, divided world in which we find ourselves. 16 short pieces for cello and piano, each a gentle journey into a sensory realm. No, we’re not suggesting our latest works are the key to world peace. Instead, they are brief opportunities to step out of the stressful now and enter whichever peaceful dimension unfolds through the music.
So, the following posts will present each of the tracks. I sincerely hope they have the soothing effect they’re intended to. If they do, please help us to spread them further afield. Email a video link to a friend who’s having a rough day. Share on your social media page and/or group. And please subscribe to our channel and like the videos.
New Sheet Music Released
I’m pleased to announce that I have released a digital score for my cello quintet arrangement of Schubert’s Andante from his piano trio no. 2 in E-flat major. Having made a recording of the arrangement (also available to buy), I should probably warn in advance of the trickiness, especially in parts 1, 3 and 4. Suitable for advanced cellists – grade 8 and above.
Tina Guo Performing Works by the Cullens
Last month one of my favourite cellists did me the enormous honour of recording a couple of compositions by my husband and me for fun. The cellist was none other than Tina Guo. For those who haven’t come across her, she is a multi-genre cellist and composer. With her effortless technique and intense musicality she is equally well established in the classical, film music and rock/ pop arenas. As a classical soloist Tina has performed with the San Diego Symphony, the State of Mexico National Symphony, the Thessaloniki State Symphony in Greece, the Bari Symphony in Italy, the Petrobras Symphony and the Barra Mansa Symphony in Brazil, and the Vancouver Island Symphony in British Columbia. In non-classical, crossover and media music settings she has performed in a solo capacity alongside Hans Zimmer for the premier of his Inception score, performed and recorded as a featured guest with the Jazz/Fusion Miles Evans Band, performed at the Grammy’s with the Foo Fighters, at the MTV Movie Awards, American Idol, at Comic Con in San Diego featured on the electric cello in the Battlestar Galactica Orchestra, and with Brazilian guitarist Victor Biglione in a Jimi Hendrix Tribute Concert at the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janiero. Tina is currently the featured soloist on the electric cello in Cirque Du Soleil’s Michael Jackson “The Immortal” World Tour, an international all-arena tour spanning from 2012-2014 and currently the highest grossing tour in North America.
The two pieces recorded were ‘Sakura’ and ‘Better Tomorrow’ – both for cello and piano. Since Tina is currently on tour and living in hotels, she has a very basic (but effective) recording set-up, and her ‘practice cello’ – a student instrument which can be thrown about in the gear truck. Without access to a piano or pianist, I sent her my piano tracks from the original recordings. In spite of the technical limitations, the results are pretty magnificent!
Purchase sheet music for 'Sakura'
Better Tomorrow (Cello and Piano): Recording and Sheet Music
Better Tomorrow is a slow, wistful and lyrical piece for cello and piano. Suitable for higher intermediate cellists.Phrasing and tone are the main challenges in this piece.
$4.99
