Arauco: Fantasy-Quartet

Description

The virtuosity of the Network for New Music ensemble served as the inspiration for "Fantasy". While there are three distinct movements, there is no break in the musical flow. The first and second movements are bridged by a sustained climatic chord in the piano, from which the solo violin emerges to begin the Vocalise. The tentative clarinet line which closes the second movement grows into an intense trill, which in turn cues the dramatic entry of the cello in double-stops to begin the final movement. As the title implies, a certain freedom of expression pervades the whole, expressed both in terms of plasticity of line and in the bravura playing style evident particularly at the start of the final movement.