Shostakovich Prelude for Cello and Viola | Nathan Chan and Michael Casimir
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- čas přidán 19. 07. 2016
- A picture is worth a thousand words, but music is worth a thousand emotions. We were so moved by these words in direct response to recent acts of violence, terrorism and social injustice written by Michael Fernando (Instagram @moveitlikef3rny) that we wanted to honor it with this video. His words so precisely capture the role music plays in our humanity.
We hope you enjoy Shostakovich's Prelude for Two Violins arranged for Cello and Viola.
Produced and performed by Nathan Chan and Michael Casimir.
Special thanks to Michael Fernando, Mina Kim and Maddie Tucker for making this project possible.
"To watch the human body be destroyed is to be made aware of the fragility of our anatomies; that blood is composed of not only the chemical elements of life, but also the collective knowledge and labor of entire families; and also, that the vessel can be cleaved and its contents returned to the soil.
It also fills us with otherworldly rage. Rage that thrives on our pettiness, on generalization, on suppressing the diversity of possible questions, and on deference to hurried answers. We thrash and grope around blindly for justice, for freedoms that we, so disillusioned, are uncertain even exist.
But of course there are different kinds of freedom. And so as many of us huddle around the warmth of music in times of tragedy, it is important for us to also recognize the real-life, functional value of our musicianship: the learned freedom of choice. To choose to remain disciplined and mindful. To choose the sound of the band over the sound of our instrument. To choose to do the difficult but necessary work of continuing to listen to our peers through passages of both harmony and dissonance.
Everything can be taken from us but this most important of human freedoms, and it is for that reason that we must never relent in its exercise."
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There should be more duets with viola and cello. Both instruments are haunting and beautiful.
I see in the comments that this piece was originally for 2 violins and a piano but on hearing it for the first time it seems like it was written especially for viola and cello . Such a gorgeous piece and beautifully played.
Misleading; not arranged for just one viola and cello. Sometimes I hear four distinct voices.
Just...woah
I’m moved… I hope this could be played at my funeral… there are moments where the cello and viola slowly part from each other… it felt like how my soul would leave this earth to come to face God
Thank you for posting this. Viola and cello really give a great voice to the piece and the quote.
I'm so excited to play this song! It sounds really good, I play the viola and I adore the sounds the cello and Viola make! Keep up the great work!
The lament of the Viola solo towards the end ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful music with an excellent message! Bravo!
You kind of look like shostakovich with the glasses and the hair.
Though originally written for two violins and piano, the deeper voices really work well with this piece. I have long admired it in the version for two cellos and piano, but the viola is so effective in this quasi-duet.
How nice sounds this melancholic piece; great perfomance!
I love this beautiful, melancholy piece, part of 5 pieces for piano, cello and viola
Wow, powerful voices, written and musical. Thanks for this. I am playing this piece with a fellow cellist. Gorgeous.
Just beautiful, I hope to advance in my orchestral studies. Such passion and such a strong message conveyed through music.
NATHAN CHAN I LOVE YOU ME AND MY FRIEND PERFORMED THIS LIKE THREE YEARS BACK IN FRONT OF OUR BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION I STILL LISTEN TO THIS TO THIS DAY
It's sublime, simply beautiful.
Perfect! You're amazing, congratulations 👏🏼😍
Beautifully moving. Thank you