CourtNr2 (2010)
CourtNr2 (2010)
for ensemble
ensemble: 1*.0.1.0/1.1.0.0/2perc/2pno/1.0.1.1.0
duration: 10 minutes
première: September 27, 2010 HfMDK Frankfurt am Main, Germany
International Ensemble Modern Academy
Conducted by Susanne Blumenthal
Commissioned by the International Ensemble Modern Academy
CourtNr2
score preview
CourtNr2
(full recording)
September 27, 2010, HfMDK Frankfurt am Main, Germany (première)
International Ensemble Modern Academy, conducted by Susanne Blumenthal
Additional performances
October 2, 2010, ZKM Karlsruhe Kubus, Germany
International Ensemble Modern Academy
Conducted by Susanne Blumenthal
International Ensemble Modern Academy
Conducted by Susanne Blumenthal
ABOUT
CourtNr2 is a further work in Žuraj’s cycle of tennis-related compositions. Scored for large ensemble, it is a work that develops in largely subdued tones, with Žuraj’s trademark glissandi and scurrying textures slithering around in an almost constant undertone. Those instruments that can be muted almost always are, with the strings using particularly heavy, metal mutes, and the brass a variety. In the early stages of the work, the French horn plays a dominant role, adding a sharp profile to the sinuous, heterophonic lines of the ensemble.
Later, an extended solo for the violin, barely audible at the uppermost extreme of its range, ushers in a new sound-world, in which the ensemble is joined by a throat singer. The throat singing adds a different dimension, as though the fundamental pitch were suddenly revealed, to which the music had previously simply been overtones. The throat-singer, however, is not a soloist, merely a momentary colour which is used sparingly for a while, and afterwards withdraws entirely, allowing the subterranean virtuosity of the instruments to flicker to its conclusion.
Alwyn Tomas Westbrooke