Cloud Burst
- Instrumentation
- Cello and piano
- Duration
- 9 minutes
- Year
- 2005
- Commissioned by
- Michael Kannen, Director of Chamber Music at the Peabody Conservatory and founding member of the Brentano String Quartet
- Premiere
- CAGE (Conservatory Avant-Garde Ensemble). Michael Kannen, cello; Ann Teresa Kang, piano and directorMarch 8, 2006 · Leith Symington Griswold Hall, Baltimore, MD
Live recording, CAGE — Conservatory Avant-Garde Ensemble. Michael Kannen, cello; Ann Teresa Kang, piano.
Program Notes
Cloud Burst is a duet for cello and piano that celebrates the rich colors and virtuosic possibilities of both instruments. The piece unfolds as a dialogue, moving between rhythmic intensity and quiet intimacy, exploring a range of delicate, conflicting emotions. Cello and piano remain closely intertwined throughout, so that contrasting sections flow naturally into one another: from inner turmoil to serene calm, from hushed reflection to bold declaration of desire and fear.
Cloud Burst was commissioned by Mr. Michael Kannen, Director of Chamber Music at the Peabody Conservatory and founding member of the Brentano String Quartet. I am honored to have the piano part performed by Ann Teresa Kang, Director of the CAGE Ensemble and faculty member of the Peabody Preparatory department.
Ying-Chen Kao