Jetez!
Instrumentation
Cello
1
Viola
1
Violin 1
1
Violin 2
1
Additional Information
The first ideas for this piece were sketched whilst attending the Etchings Festival composition course in the small French village of Auvillar last summer. Positioned on the edge of a high cliff, a particularly impressive part of Auvillar is the panoramic viewpoint overlooking the Garonne river valley below. One afternoon, whilst looking out at this sweeping landscape, initial ideas for this piece began to form after seeing a couple of locals amusing themselves by throwing stones and various projectiles off the edge; hence the title ‘Jetez!’.
The image of an object being suddenly propelled into the air, arching through the sky, then disappearing into the gaping valley below, led to the following key ideas in this piece; dramatic crescendi into a sudden drop out of the bass (pulling the carpet from under the feet), leaving downward glissandi, briefly suspended in mid air before spiralling downwards. On a more general level, the highly energetic and carefree character of this piece, as well as the rapid exchange of lines and gestures between parts, were also inspired by this image of launching over the edge and throwing caution to the wind.
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