Steven Stucky’s Dialoghi
LA Phil cellist Gloria Lum plays Steven Stucky’s musical gift to a friend
In 2006, longtime collaborator and friend of the Los Angeles Philharmonic composer Steven Stucky created a musical gift to honor his friendship with Canadian American cellist Elinor Frey. He devised a theme for a short set of variations using the letters of her first name, a time-honored tradition. In tribute to her skills, he used the full range of the cello, as well as a full complement of string techniques: pizzicato (plucking), harmonics (overtones), sul ponticello (playing near the bridge), and multiple stops (holding down more than one note at a time).
The result is an approachable modernism that expresses an array of emotions within an overall atmosphere that is haunting and sensitive, which is brought to life here by LA Phil cellist Gloria Lum.
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