— Broken Cries is music that begins filled with hesitation. Pauses and silences break the flow of sounds, as a voiced cry is sometimes broken by a breath or, perhaps, a sudden thought. The music is in one movement with three sections. The first, called breathing, is slow and deliberate, with many breaks of sound. The second, called singing, moves in a more continuous way. Two lead cellos alternate melodic figures in a “call and response,” as the rest of the ensemble divides into support for one or the other. In the third section, called letting go, the hesitations are nearly gone, and the music dances. A brief, reflective coda concludes the piece. The composition of Broken Cries took place in the summer months of 2001, and the piece was written for the Tarab Cello Ensemble.

–Recorded by the Tarab Cello Ensemble on the disc “The Music of David Liptak,” Bridge Records 9167. —