Note
I’ve been increasingly obsessed with the idea that longer pieces can actually be made out of less stuff as a way of supporting the weight of their structures. By “stuff” I don’t mean narrative drama—a lot can happen in 25 minutes—but actual musical ideas. Strong Language has three movements and exactly three musical ideas.
“Middens” starts with a simple, undulating melody, played unaccompanied. Sonic detritus gradually accrues underneath each pile of notes. With each repetition of the melody, the piles grow taller.
“Origin Story” ventures outward from a static d minor triad: first in recalcitrant half-steps and little by little further afield. As the instruments gain confidence with repetition, they coagulate into an unstoppable melodic sequence. Each time it is played, the sequence shrinks a bar, cramming ever-increasing contrapuntal complexity into a smaller and smaller space.
“Gentle Cycling” reverses the process of “Middens”, coaxing an expressive viola and ‘cello duet from a spectral landscape of plucks, scrapes, and knocks.
with the Takács Quartet after the première of “Strong Language”.
Listen
Timo Andres: Strong Language: 1. Middens
recorded Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
performers Takács Quartet
Purchase
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Strong Language score & parts, print edition
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Strong Language score & parts, PDF edition
38 pages, 9×12 format. Includes full score and 4 parts.
