The Invisible Cities String Quartet Cycle
“We are living in hell. We have two choices: we can become a part of the hell around us, or we can find those things around us that are not hell, and give them a form that will allow them to endure.”
-- ITALO CALVINO: Invisible Cities
String Quartet No. 1:
Jests and Tenderness
[premiere by Mendelssohn String Quartet: Oct 2000]
String Quartet No. 2:
Flight
[premiere by Daedalus String Quartet: Nov 2003]
String Quartet No. 3:
Air
[premiere by the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival: January 2005]
String Quartet No. 4:
The Infinite Sphere
[commissioned by the Daedalus String Quartet, scheduled for premiere in the 2009-2010 season]
String Quartet No. 5:
Through the Night
[commissioned by the Emerson String Quartet, scheduled for premiere in the 2009-2010 season]
String Quartet No. 6:
Fantasies
Current conventional wisdom tells us that the Western Classical tradition is outdated and irrelevant. Pointing to diminishing audiences and stuffy concert formalities, critics claim that it is time for a complete upheaval in repertoire, concert venue, and performance practice.
While there are serious problems in the current manner of presentation for art music, including many widely accepted practices that are woefully disconnected from the realities of life in the 21st century, there is still much of value, much worth preserving in the Western Classical tradition. Taking inspiration from the concluding passage of Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, I have set out to find the attitudes and potentials from my heritage that are most worth passing on.
The Invisible Cities String Quartet Cycle is a set of six string quartets, each centering on a different traditional form. In the same way in which the cinematic close-up can reveal more than any dialogue, with close focus each of these forms reveals a wealth of possibilities and a sometimes surprising relevance to contemporary thought and experience.
COMPLETED
String Quartet No. 1: Jests and Tenderness.
The focus of the first quartet is the Classical scherzo, or “joke.” Approaching the scherzo through the eyes of contemporary psychology and anthropology, Jests and Tenderness explores the fine line between rage and humor, with three increasingly agitated scherzi followed by a serene nocturne.
String Quartet No. 2: Flight.
The second quartet focuses on the literal meaning of the word fugue (flight) with six brief fugues, each depicting flight from a different perspective, from the inspiring magnificence of nature to the lethal manipulations of aircraft. The six movements are titled Birds, Insects and Paper Airplanes, Stars, Langley, Swings, and Daedalus and Icarus.
String Quartet No. 3: Air.
The shortest of the six quartets, “Air” is in five continuous movements (Aura-Aria-Air-Aria-Aura) totaling just over ten minutes. The centerpiece is a passionate, Italian-influenced aria, with florid ornamentation of pitch, tempo and timbre.
String Quartet No. 4: The Infinite Sphere.
Taking Pascal’s reference to an “infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere” as a starting point, this fourth quartet explores the potentials of Classical circular forms and techniques – in particular the rondo form and canonical rounds. Commissioned by the Daedalus String Quartet, the fourth quartet will be premiered in the the 2009-10 season.
IN PROGRESS
String Quartet No. 5: Through the Night.
A passacaglia/chaconne/theme-and-variations, the fifth string quartet is based, literally and figuratively, on the Welsh tune “All Through the Night,” alternating variation movements with dream-interludes. Commissioned by the Emerson String Quartet, this fifth quartet will be premiered in Cologne in 2010.
STILL TO COME
String Quartet No. 6: Fantasies.
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