String Quartet No. 1: The London Quartet [2010]
A three-movement work, in some ways the most "classical" piece I've written, in others the most "radical." The movements are fast-slow-fast, out of the Italian concerto tradition, and the subtitle is (obviously) a reference, not only to the city where it was premiered, but to Haydn's "Paris" Quartets and "London" Symphonies.
The original program notes:
At the core of the string quartet lies two qualities: virtuosity and ensemble. These two qualities are in tension with each other, at times even paradoxically so. , While not wanting to give away the piece's basic conceit, I sought to heighten both qualities through what may seem to be an unexpected means. The result requires the players to re-think their relationship to the group, and challenges them to play in counterintuitive ways.
Both of the movements you will hear tonight are enactments of a idea from Heidegger's essay "The Origin of the Artwork." Heidegger proposes that the nature of art is both to reveal and conceal its truth with the same gesture. Both movements travel between "focused" and "unfocused" passages, promising clarity of structure, phrase, and direction, but quickly drift into elusion and uncertainty.
Tonight's performance marks both my United Kingdom and European debut, which I sincerely hope is the first in a long succession of fruitful collaborations with British and other European performers.
performances
The Halcyon Quartet ; London, UK (March 2010), Eastbourne, UK (April 2010)