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Acoustic Composition 12
Variations and Distorted Reflections (2014/17)
(After Stradella)
Twenty-Five Movements for Solo Violin
Movements I – VI – XV – XVI Live 2017
This is a multiple-movement work composed around the ground bass for Allessandro Stradella’s (1639-1682) Twelfth Two-Part Sinfonia (A – E – B – E – F – G – A – F – E – C – D – E – A), using the overall form, pitch-scheme and internal structures of the original manuscript as a template for pitch-organisation, texture, form and proportion.
The initial conception of this work evolved out of a collaborative recording project with violinist-musicologist Dr Alberto Sanna: The Stradella Project – Alessandro Stradella: Two-Part Sinfonias.
The multiple movements (twenty-five in total) reflect upon the atmosphere and stylistic character of the Stradella variations with elements of direct and subliminal quotation often using the original melodic contour and/or rhythmic impetus as a starting point, but have been reinterpreted (distorted) and entirely recomposed from a contemporary perspective. See Variations (after Stradella) Thought, Process and Theory PDF …
Some of the latter movements contain more of the original material in recognisable form and are credited as such within the score.
The writing is filled with reminiscences of the past alongside glimpses of the future, but hopefully combining to create a timeless music realised within a personal compositional autograph highlighting the idiomatic and virtuosic properties of the solo violin and the creative talent behind the original variations. See Variations (after Stradella) Subtitles and Narrative (PDF) …
Some movements are undeniably a product of the twenty-first century.
Twelve of the movements (initially composed during 2014) were extensively edited during completion of the score in the summer of 2017. Materials and textures for movements X, XIV, XVIII and XXII (the recurring theme) were influenced by an earlier work from the composer: An Instant Conception for chamber ensemble and percussion.
