Synthesis, S53 Op.25 (2019/20)
Chamber music for 4 players
Recording
Audio
I "Dance of the Collective"
II "Solitary Contemplation"
III "Synthesis"
Instrumentation
guitar quartet
Spieldauer
10 Minutes
Commission
Weimar Guitar Quartet
Premiere
29.08.2024
MDR-Musiksommer
Bad Liebenstein
Weimar Guitar Quartet
Rebeca Oliveira
Karmen Stendler
Hanna Link
David Antigüedad
Short Synopsis
The guitar quartet "Synthesis, S53 Op. 25" was conceived as an aesthetic study of the processes and results of combining different musical parameters. Several fundamental and superficial musical contrasts, including form (defined/undefined), notation technique (traditional/modern), and style (functional/theoretical), were contrasted or united through synthesis to create a hybrid artwork that both represents the preservation of musical tradition and points the way toward a new, boundless, unifying art form beyond the numerous aesthetic tensions of contemporary music production; for example, by dissolving the polarity between functional and theoretical music.
The first movement, "Dance of the Collective", is a rhythmic celebration that symbolically represents the euphoria that can arise both for the individual and the collective when swept up by powerful social or political movements. Two percussive solo sections interrupt the polyrhythmic textures played collectively by the entire ensemble. The initial formal structure is then presented in retrograde, leading to a varied reprise that is repeated ad libitum by the performers and slowly fades away. The second movement, "Solitary Contemplation", is characterized by undefined or aleatoric elements symbolizing individual thought patterns. Melodically and harmonically presented, the various symbolic thought patterns drift aimlessly, connect and disconnect, and remain unresolved at the end of the movement. The third and final movement, "Synthesis", forms the climax of the composition and, both superficially and symbolically, merges the two preceding movements. The aesthetic logic of combination in terms of the divergent musical parameters reaches its peak, thus suggesting a possible union or coexistence of the symbolically represented dialectic of social divisions (individual/collective).
The piece requires professional playing skills as well as a willingness to engage with various extended techniques. However, it is not exclusively accessible to specialized performers of contemporary new music. Consequently, this piece could also be included in the program of a guitar quartet that primarily focuses on traditional repertoire, that is, music from before the 20th century. Furthermore, the piece could also be suitable for an advanced student ensemble within a general or non-contemporary music guitar program. It could therefore serve as an educational bridge for further engagement with contemporary music.
Performance rights
Sean Robert Silva
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Deutschland
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