The cello that wasn't a cello but became one…
The winner of this year's Queen Elisabeth Competition will carry home not just a prize but a priceless outlet for expression, the Goffriller cello that Pablo Casals played for 65 years. It will be loaned to the first laureate for the next four years, giving voice to new interpretations from a performer at the beginning of a promising career.
What makes this instrument so special is not only its former owner, but also its origins: initially, it wasn't a cello at all. In fact, the proportions of what we now know as the cello didn't become standardized until the middle of the 18th century. Instead, the larger category of bowed instruments was dominated by violones—instruments up to 80 centimeters in size that provided continuo support in an ensemble. They were accompanying instruments, not intended for solo performance.
Matteo Goffriller, the maker of Casals' instrument, was a master craftsman in Venice during the height of the violone era. He built this instrument as a violone in its original, larger format, sometime in the early 18th century. But like many instruments that left his workshop, this one too was missing an important detail: a label bearing his name. Omitting this may have been a clever way to dodge Venetian taxes, but it also meant that Goffriller's contribution to the craft went unrecognized in later years.
By the time the Goffriller violone came into Casals' hands, it had been shortened to cello proportions—a smaller violone, suited to the challenging repertoire that developed in later years. The instrument was sold to him as a Bergonzi, named after a maker who was better known among instrument dealers at the time, but Casals knew it was a Goffriller. He cherished its sound and refused to trade it for any other instrument. The instrument's unique tone will offer the competition winner both challenges and opportunities, with its capacity for delicate pianissimo and powerful forte passages and its colorful overtones.
Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers, the required piece composed by Fang Man
In the same vein as the sonic spectrum of Casals' cello, Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers, the mandatory piece for the competition final, gives the finalists a chance to prove their ability to convey the complex interpretations that bring out the brilliance of the Goffriller cello.
Fang Man, a Chinese-born American composer, composed this four-movement concerto representing flowers traditionally associated with the seasons in Chinese tradition: orchid for spring, bamboo for summer, chrysanthemum for autumn, and plum for winter.
The varied moods throughout the piece give the performer considerable freedom, with fierce and peaceful passages, and some sections simply marked 'Improvise.' There are multiple harmonies and sliding notes, quiet moments, and passages where soloist and orchestra create a grand sound. Moreover, the composer has given the soloist the option to play the movements in any order—a choice that can significantly affect how the work comes across.
Fang stated that her primary musical inspiration for the piece was Western music, particularly that of Olivier Messiaen. The parallels with Messiaen are certainly audible in the overall harmonic structure of the piece, but Chinese influences remain discernible as well—for instance, in the rising sliding notes in the spring section. There's also a playfulness that emerges from time to time. Another source of inspiration for her theme, Fang told reporters, was her 92-year-old father's fascination with mahjong, whose flower tiles also correspond to the movements of the concerto.
In performance, Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers is a demanding test of the soloist's ability to listen to all the other parts and deliver an individual interpretation while engaging in convincing dialogue with the orchestra. There are passages where the orchestra threatens to drown out the cello solo; the sound in some places is a compositional choice that the performer may not fully be able to soften. But it's a piece that rewards variety in expression and originality in interpretation—an intriguing example of the kind of performances one of these promising soloists might deliver on Casals' historic instrument over the next four years.
The cello that wasn't a cello but became one…
The winner of this year's Queen Elisabeth Competition will carry home not just a prize but a priceless outlet for expression, the Goffriller cello that Pablo Casals (1876-1973) played for 65 years. It will be loaned to the first laureate for the next four years, giving voice to new interpretations from a performer at the beginning of a promising career.
What makes this instrument special is not just its former owner but its origins: In the beginning, it was not a cello. In fact, the proportions of the instrument we now recognize as the cello did not exist until the mid-18th century. Instead, the larger category of stringed instruments was dominated by violones, instruments as large as 80 centimeters that performed the role of continuo in an ensemble. They were supporting players rather than solo voices.
Matteo Goffriller, the maker of Casals' instrument, was a master craftsman in Venice during the time when violones were in vogue. He built this instrument as a violone in its original larger size, sometime at the beginning of the 18th century. But like many instruments emerging from his shop, this one was missing a key detail: the label with his name. The omission might have been a successful way to evade Venetian taxes, but it also meant Goffriller's contribution to the craft went unrecognized in later years.
By the time it reached Casals' hands, the Goffriller violone had been cut down to the proportions of a violoncello, a small violone, suitable for the challenging repertoire that emerged in later years. It was sold to him as a Bergonzi, taking the name of a maker who was then better-known among instrument sellers, but Casals knew it was a Goffriller. He cherished its sound and refused to switch it for another instrument. Its unique voice will bring both challenges and opportunities for the competition winner, with its capacity for delicate pianissimo and full-throated forte and its colorful overtones.
Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers, the obligatory piece composed by Fang Man
Along these lines, In the following days, there was little fresh air, but the finalists refreshed the atmosphere with new ideas about Fang Man's composition and the theme of the four seasons corresponding to four types of flowers. One conjured an almost romantic phrasing style, while another played the strings fiercely to emphasize the drama. Some played glissandos with the dryness of a fallen leaf, while others rounded out the tones. Because each competitor could choose the order of the sections in the mandatory piece, we heard some performances begin with the sharp solo passage of the winter section, while others ended with the dramatic gong stroke; some started with the meditative harmonies of the spring section, and some chose to end with the final, sustained autumn chord., the obliged piece for the competition's final round, offers finalists the chance to prove their ability to convey the kinds of intricate interpretations that would bring out the brilliance of the Goffriller cello. Fang Man, a U.S. composer born in China, created this concerto in four parts representing flowers associated in Chinese tradition with the seasons: orchid for spring, bamboo for summer, chrysanthemum for autumn, and plum for winter.
The varied moods in the piece offer wide latitude for the performer, with fierce and peaceful passages and some places marked simply "Improvise." There are multiple harmonics and sliding notes, quiet moments and passages where the soloist and orchestra make a grand racket. In addition, the composer has given the soloist the option to play the movements in any order, a choice that can have a profound impact on how the work comes across.
Fang said her main source of musical inspiration for the piece was Western music, particularly that of Olivier Messiaen. Certainly, the parallels with Messiaen are easy to hear in the general harmonic environment of the piece, but some Chinese influences are still audible, for example in rising sliding notes in the spring movement. There's also a playfulness that emerges at times. Another inspiration for her theme, Fang told reporters, was her 92-year-old father's fascination with mahjong, whose flower tiles also correspond with the concerto movements.
In performance, In the following days, there was little fresh air, but the finalists refreshed the atmosphere with new ideas about Fang Man's composition and the theme of the four seasons corresponding to four types of flowers. One conjured an almost romantic phrasing style, while another played the strings fiercely to emphasize the drama. Some played glissandos with the dryness of a fallen leaf, while others rounded out the tones. Because each competitor could choose the order of the sections in the mandatory piece, we heard some performances begin with the sharp solo passage of the winter section, while others ended with the dramatic gong stroke; some started with the meditative harmonies of the spring section, and some chose to end with the final, sustained autumn chord. is a challenging test of the soloist's ability to listen to all the other parts and bring out an individual interpretation that also has a convincing dialogue with the orchestra. There are parts where the orchestra tends to drown out the solo cello; the clangor in spots is a compositional choice that perhaps cannot be fully mitigated by the performer. But it's a piece that rewards variety of expression and originality of interpretation, an intriguing illustration of the kinds of performances one of these promising soloists could give on the historic instrument of Casals over the coming four years.
