5 players: harp and string quartet - Shadowy Figures

Ensemble: harp and string quartet

Duration: 7 minutes

Commissioned by: Het Gelders Orkest for Lavinia Meijer

Premiered: Grote Zaal, Tivoli Vredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands

Note:

This piece starts quite spare: just the harp, a solo violin, and some
shimmery fragments. As the harp gathers momentum, more elements of
the ensemble begin to wake up, arriving at a fortissimo climax near the
end.

I imagine the piece starting in the dark, like an object you can barely
make out. As light slowly creeps in—at an angle at first—the contour of
the object becomes more visible, but it also creates shadows which
obscure the form. With each iteration of the ostinato, the light gets
brighter and more direct; more of the object is revealed, and more colors
of the ensemble are illuminated.

This piece was my fourth collaboration with Lavinia Meijer, and I wanted
to showcase both her sensitivity and her virtuosity. Watching her perform
this work, activating the orchestra around her, felt like a nice metaphor
for her ability to bring large groups together with her passionate
advocacy for the music she plays.

It is arranged in this version for Lavinia and ADAM Quartet.