Eleven Smithereens

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Eleven Smithereens
by Graham Waterhouse
Graham Waterhouse, Ehrenbach.jpg
Waterhouse in 2024
Year2021 (2021)
Period contemporary
Movements11
Scoring cello

Eleven Smithereens is a composition for cello solo in eleven movements by Graham Waterhouse, completed in 2021. The composer wrote it during the COVID-19 lockdown to explore the possibilities of his instrument. He premiered the work, then just named Smithereens, at the Gasteig HP8 in Munich in 2021.

Contents

History

Waterhouse, a cellist and composer, wrote Eleven Smithereens [1] in early 2021 under the impression of the COVID-19 lockdown that gave him time to explore the sound qualities and techniques of his instrument. [2] [3] He premiered the work at the Gasteig HP8 in Munich, on 14 November 2021. [4] [5] He played it there again on 29 September 2023, together with the premiere of his Cello Sonata "Birkenlicht". [1]

Movements

The titles of the eleven movements were built by using the word Smithereens as a acrostic, providing the first letters of the movement titles forward and the last letters backward, and the rule that each title is one character longer than the previous one: [3]

  1. S
  2. MN
  3. IcE
  4. TreE
  5. HypeR
  6. EveriE
  7. RoguiH
  8. ElephanT
  9. EucalyptI
  10. NightdreaM
  11. SmithereenS

The duration is given as 25 minutes. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Das Gasteig-Magazin / Fr 29" (PDF). Gasteig HP8. September 2023. p. 43. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  2. ↑ Schlüren, Christoph (November 2021). "Fesselndes von Graham Waterhouse, Transzendentes von John Foulds". The New Listener (in German). Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Smithereens". Graham Waterhouse (in German). 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 "World Premieres" (PDF). Schott Journal (in German). No. 4. 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "Das Gasteig-Magazin / So 14" (PDF). Gasteig HP8 (in German). November 2021. p. 39. Retrieved 3 October 2025.

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