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:
Rounds
String Quartet No. 5:
Variants
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Current conventional wisdom tells us that the Western Classical tradition is outdated and irrelevant.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.
IN PROGRESS
String Quartet No. 4: Rounds.
The classical rondo gives the overall form to this lighthearted quartet in six movements: Canonical rounds are fused with contemporary dance rhythms in an affirmative celebration of the eternal life cycle.
STILL TO COME
String Quartet No. 5: Variants
String Quartet No. 6: Fantasies
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