Flaherty – Semi Suite

The composer writes: “Lament” is a slow movement based on a short tune first presented high on the C string, in imitation of a wooden flute. The tune is fragmented and gradually reassembled, finally appearing well above the normal cello range, in harmonics.  “Trilling” is a response both to my interest in rhythmic and metric interaction and to the frustrating boredom of practicing standard trill studies as a cello student. The movement proceeds with a nearly constant measured trill on one string while a slower moving line on adjacent strings continuously redefines the metric meaning of the trill. A short cadenza in the center of the piece leads to a varied recapitulation of the main idea.