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Tachophobia (Cello solo)

Whalley, R. Tachophobia. 2010. Cello solo. Published by Composers Edition, i + 12 pages. Duration 20 mins. Premiered in Manchester, UK on 22.4.2010 by Oliver Coates, cellist. Recorded by Oliver Coates for Prima Facie on ASC Records (‘A Feast for the Senses: Music by Richard Whalley’ – PFCD014), released October 2012.

This work is a study in characterisation of extremes of cello technique, taking as a starting point two highly contrasting sources of inspiration: the cello suites of J.S. Bach and Tarantino’s film ‘Deathproof’ (2007). Study of Bach’s cello suites (and also those of Britten) stimulated an important research question: that of how music for a single-line instrument might create a sense of harmonic movement and complexity. Tarantino's film, with its dramatic car chases and black-and-white symmetrical structure, raises many questions of how musical analogies for the drama, excitement and unpredictability of a car chase be found, and how such a structure may enhance the scope for extremes of contrast within the same work.

Both of the above facilitated research into virtuosic string techniques through which harmonic processes can unfold; this occured partly through my own experimentation on the viola, partly through study of scores by Berio and Sciarrino. Consequently the following techniques were developed:

(i) exploration of the degree of focus of a line, as defined by sound quality, degree of blurring of string crossing, vibrato and distinguishing between portamento and glissando.

(ii) simultaneous playing of a sustained expressive line with increasingly intricate methods of accompaniment.

(iii) extremely fast scales which morph into arpeggios, and figuration so fast that it transitions in and out of tremolo.

Such research enabled a four-movement structure of the work, designed to exploit maximum contrast between lyrical and physical, and dark and light, as well as between block-like and freely evolving structures.