On A Long Strand

My cello concerto On A Long Strand is inspired by the poem North by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney, whose dramatic force and power of expression has deeply impressed me. As a preliminary study, I first set the poem for voice and piano which I then used to develop the first movement of the cello concerto. The atmosphere of this movement is characterised by the seascapes of northern Europe as described by Heaney in his poem with dramatically frothing waves and stark contrasts. The cello part is treated almost as a vocal line, oscillating between lyrical, dramatic and recitative-like inflections. The second movement is more in the style of chamber music in which individual orchestral instruments enter into an intimate dialogue with the solo cello, in particular flute and horn. The concluding third movement is a virtuoso dancelike finale. Taking up the theme from the opening movement, this movement is influenced by Irish fiddle music in which the soloist enters a dancelike and at times audacious competition with a variety of orchestral groups. After a solo cadenza - a duel with the side drum - the work finds its virtuoso and effective conclusion. Anno Schreier