Poèmes
Year: 2018
Duration: 17’
Instrumentation: string quartet
I. Andante grazioso
II. Allegretto con brio
III. Come un pendolo
IV. Allegretto energetico
Program Note: Poèmes is a four-movement composition for string quartet. The first movement is generally quiet with small moments of excitement, while the second movement is dance-like and rhythmic. Marked “Come un pendolo”, the third movement consists of many long durations, a wide range, and is occasionally characterized by a swinging quality. Finally, the fourth movement – a rondo – is fast, lively, and playful. Initially, I had several 19th Century French poems in mind, whose characters seemed to mirror my ideas (I had considered including a line of text at the beginning of each movement). However, as I was writing the piece, the music took on its own personality. Ultimately, I decided to let the music speak for itself.
