Cello in the Universe

Program Notes

Cello in the Universe is a composition for violoncello solo in four movements. I conceived of this piece in a curious way--I experienced a dream. It was a dream of solo cello music that was unattached to our comprehension of time and space. In my dream, the music was coming from a cello floating in space. Perhaps at one time it was attached to a satellite, or a space station, but by accident it came unfastened from its lifeline-tether and began to drift forever through the universe. Of course, music cannot be heard in space. There is no air to transmit the vibrations to our eardrums. Nevertheless, I sketched down the idea and worked it out over the course of several months. The piece was composed in the summer of 2001 in Manhattan, New York. The premiere took place by the extraordinary cellist, Matt Goeke, at a concert of the Glass Farm Ensemble, on June 13 th, 2010, at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan, New York.