We are excited to continue our collaboration with the New York Women Composers. This month, we spotlight Rain Worthington, who started this series.
Composer Rain Worthington.
Bio from Worthington’s website:
Self-taught in composition, Rain Worthington has written works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, duos, solos and miniatures. Her writing has been described in the IAWM Journal as “a fusion of styles—ancient, medieval sounds expressed via modality and open sonorities, modernist minimalist ostinato, and classical approaches to basic ideas—to capture components of the human experience.”
Inspired by the energy of the contemporary classical scene, she pursued her love of orchestral music and taught herself notation and orchestration.
In 2022, her Dream Vapors Suite received a world premiere by the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia.
2021 orchestral performances included the U.S. premiere of Shredding Glass for orchestra, the European and U.S. premieres of Within Deep Currents for string orchestra, and the Croatian premiere of In Passages for violin soloist and string orchestra.
2020 performances of her orchestral works included Still Motion, performed at Carnegie Hall February 2020 on the DCINY concert series, and Yet Still Night at the TUTTI Festival at Denison University.
The world premiere of Shredding Glass was performed in June 2019 by the Orquestra Sinfonica de Limeira in Brazil. She was a guest at Missouri State University 2016 and 2017 for MSU Symphony orchestral world premieres of Tracing a Dream and In Passages. Subsequent orchestral premieres of In Passages were presented in Italy and Brazil in 2018.
2020 commissions included a new violin/piano work, “Balancing on the Edge of Shadows” for violinist Audrey Wright and a work for string orchestra, “Turning Tides” for the Portland Youth Philharmonic.
She served as Artistic Administrator and Composer Advocate for the New York Women Composers 2006-2021.
Featured Work: “Configurations” for two cellos or cello and double bass
COMPOSITION DETAILS
- Title: “Configurations”
- Composer: Rain Worthington
- Year of Composition: 2017
- Instrumentation: 2 cellos or cello and double bass
- Movements: 1
- Duration of Work: 3:15
- Number of Measures: 79
- Number of pages: 4
- Tempo: Moderato con calore
- Difficulty Level: high intermediate to advanced
- Highest Position Reached: thumb
- Techniques Employed: 4/4 time signature; quarter note triplets; glissandos; double stops; bass and treble clefs
- Publisher: Self-published: SR Worthington (ASCAP)
- Where to Purchase the Score: rainworthington.com
- Cost of Score*: $10
Recording
Program Notes
“I love exploring the tonal interplays of close intervals between two of the same instrument or two instruments that share similar ranges. “Configurations” was originally composed for a score call for short (3-minute) works for the 2017 Osmose Intermezzo Festival in Bruxelles, Belgium. The premiere was performed by by cellists Guillaume Lagravière & Bruno Ispiola. Later, I created a second version for cello and double bass.” – Rain Worthington
Rain Worthington’s Other Work with a Prominent Cello Part
Unaccompanied Works
- Lingering Thoughts, for unaccompanied cello (2022).
- Mixed Times of Yearning, a miniature for unaccompanied string (2014).
- One Among Minutes, a miniature for unaccompanied cello, bassoon, or bass clarinet (2014).
- Resolves, for unaccompanied cello (2016). Learn more about this piece in Erica Lessie’s postcard from April 2021.
- Steps in the Night, for unaccompanied cello (2020). Read how this piece got its title here.
- Then Again, for unaccompanied cello (2016).
Duet
- Solace for violin and cello (2018).
Cello and Orchestra
- Full Circle cello soloist and orchestra (2018).
Links
A Collaboration with the New York Women Composers (NYWC)
The NYWC series at the Cello Museum was created to showcase its members who have composed various pieces for cello, informing cellists seeking new music to add to their repertoire, and helping listeners find new favorites. Many thanks to the NYWC for this wonderful collaboration.
Read other installments in the series here.
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*Prices are accurate at the time of article publication, but the Cello Museum cannot take responsibility for subsequent price changes.
