Kinetics: twenty one microludes (2019)

Kinetics was commissioned by the Friction quartet as part of their second commissioning initiative.

Program Notes:

Kinetics, comprised of twenty one microludes after Kurtag’s 12 Microludes, is an exploration of the string quartet’s ability to portray different kinds of motion as a unit, as various subsets, and as individual instruments. This exploration of motion unfolds in the form of miniatures, allowing for several disparate characters of music to coexist while 4 solos, based off of similar material, weave a thread of continuity throughout. The piece culminates in the ensemble acting as one, playing the final “solo” movement in unison.

Movements:

1 Episodic, Severe

2 Delicate, Breathing

3 Boiling Over

4 Dry, Disparate

5 Viola Solo/Push and Pull Freely

6 Choppy, Carving

7 Stirring, Lumping

8 Bustling, Fierce

9 Cello Solo/Stretching, Jumping

10 Weighty, Lethargic

11 Shear, Glassy

12 Luminous, Floating for Emily

13 Violin I Solo/Quiet, Fragile

14 Agitated, Trudging

15 Sweeping, Smooth

16 Warm, Woven

17 Violin II Solo/Rough, Resonant

18 Light, Metered

19 Exuberant, Blazing

20 Sloping, Tipping

21 In Synchrony