Eleven Smithereens
Composition for cello by Graham Waterhouse
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Eleven Smithereens is a composition for cello solo in eleven movements by Graham Waterhouse, completed in 2021. The composer wrote it during the COVID-19 lockdown to explore the possibilities of his instrument. He premiered the work, then just named Smithereens, at the Gasteig HP8 in Munich in 2021.
| Eleven Smithereens | |
|---|---|
| by Graham Waterhouse | |
Waterhouse in 2024 | |
| Year | 2021 |
| Period | contemporary |
| Movements | 11 |
| Scoring | cello |
History
Waterhouse, a cellist and composer, wrote Eleven Smithereens[1] in early 2021 under the impression of the COVID-19 lockdown that gave him time to explore the sound qualities and techniques of his instrument.[2][3] He premiered the work at the Gasteig HP8 in Munich, on 14 November 2021.[4][5] He played it there again on 29 September 2023, together with the premiere of his Cello Sonata "Birkenlicht".[1]
Movements
The titles of the eleven movements were built by using the word Smithereens as a acrostic, providing the first letters of the movement titles forward and the last letters backward, and the rule that each title is one character longer than the previous one:[3]
- S
- MN
- IcE
- TreE
- HypeR
- EveriE
- RoguiH
- ElephanT
- EucalyptI
- NightdreaM
- SmithereenS
The duration is given as 25 minutes.[4]