Cecilia McDowall

Programme notes


Browse the available programme notes by choosing a category from the list below.

Orchestral     Chamber     Instrumental     Vocal     Choral     Wind and Brass     Stage Works     Educational

Falling Angels (2007)
cello and piano duo
duration: 8'
Commissioned by Gemma Rosefield
First performance 7 January 2008
Gemma Rosefield (cello) Nicola Eimer (piano)
Purcell Room, South Bank Centre

Falling Angels was commissioned by Gemma Rosefield for performance as part of the Park Lane Group Young Artists Concerts, January 2008.

Falling Angels, a meditation for cello and piano, draws inspiration from the book City of Falling Angels in which the writer, John Berendt, gives a richly atmospheric portrayal of Venice where decay and disintegration are part of the allure. The rhythm of the lagoon, the gentle tides and waves of the Adriatic, frame the city like the rhythm of breathing. Extended melodies contrast with fragmented, falling phrases, sometimes ghostly, in this reflection on a beautiful city. The title was suggested by the sign 'Beware of falling angels' which was posted outside the Santa Maria della Salute Church in the 1970s before the marble angels were restored.