The String Sextet,
Op. 1, is a
string sextet in four movements by
Graham Waterhouse. While the composer began the work as one movement in 1979, he completed it in four movements in 2013. The completed version was first performed at the
Gasteig
Gasteig is a cultural center in Munich, opened in 1985, which hosts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The Richard Strauss Conservatory, the Volkshochschule, and the municipal library are all located in the Gasteig. Most of the events of the ...
in Munich on 9 February 2014.
History
While still at Highgate School, Waterhouse intended to compose a string sextet, following models such as the first
String Sextet by Brahms. He composed one movement which was performed for a school music competition. It was the first work he found worthy of an opus number.
The
Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music.
Born in Mon ...
pupil and scholar
Susan Bradshaw commented: "while searching for an independent voice, it still didn't sound like anyone else".
A second movement was begun in 1983 as part of university studies in
fugue
In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...
. The third movement was conceived on a trip to
Czechoslovakia and Poland in the mid-1980s. The fourth movement was begun at the same time and is based on a theme from
Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
. Both the third and the fourth movement were completed in 2013, 34 years after the beginning of the work.
Structure and music
The work for two violins, two violas and two cellos is in four movements:
# Allegro con anima
# Fugue – Adagio fanatico
# Scherzo – Allegro vivace
# Moderato (basato su ricordi di un tema macedone)
The first movement is tonal music in
sonata form, reminiscent of the
sextets by Johannes Brahms.
The second movement, marked "Adagio fanatico", is a fugue which follows Baroque forms but uses a "slightly abrasive, modal harmonic language".
It features a rhythmic
ostinato
In music, an ostinato (; derived from Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include ...
. In the Scherzo, the strings play layered ("geschichtet"). The fial movement is domiated by a Macedonian folksong with characteristic rhythms. From the beginning, the work has clear contours and skilful sextet sound.
Performances
After the first performance at Highgate school, the first movement was performed again at chamber concert at
Cambridge University in 1982.
The completed version was first performed at the
Gasteig
Gasteig is a cultural center in Munich, opened in 1985, which hosts the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. The Richard Strauss Conservatory, the Volkshochschule, and the municipal library are all located in the Gasteig. Most of the events of the ...
in Munich on 9 February 2014 in a program of chamber music by Mozart and Waterhouse, with the members of the Munich Philharmonic and the composer as the cellist.
The UK premiere was played on 1 May 2016 as part of the Whittall Barn Concert Series by the Anern Trio and the Waterhouse Trio, along with the string trios ''
Zeichenstaub
' (Symbol dust) is a composition for string trio in four movements by Graham Waterhouse, written in 2010. It was first performed in Arnstadt, Germany, on 18 September 2010, with the composer playing the cello part.
History, structure and music
...
'' and ''
Epitaphium''.
The sextet was notably played as part of GW60, a concert on 5 November 2022 at the
Allerheiligen-Hofkirche in Munich to celebrate the composer's 60th birthday.
The performers were
David Frühwirth,
Clément Courtin
Clement or Clément may refer to:
People
* Clement (name), a given name and surname
* Saint Clement (disambiguation)#People
Places
* Clément, French Guiana, a town
* Clement, Missouri, U.S.
* Clement Township, Michigan, U.S.
Other uses
* A ...
,
Konstantin Sellheim
Konstantin Sellheim (born 1978) is a German classical violist, who has appeared internationally with a focus on chamber music. He is a violist of the Münchner Philharmoniker, and lecturer of viola at the Universität der Künste Berlin.
Career ...
, Valentin Eichler, Katerina Giannitsioti and the composer.
In preparation for publication by
Schott Music
Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were fou ...
, Waterhouse then dedicated the composition to his mother,
Elisabeth Waterhouse, saying that her lifelong dedication to chamber music, especially her pioneering work at the Summer Schools from the mid-1970s, was a major inspiration for the work.
References
External links
*
{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2016
Chamber music by Graham Waterhouse
Waterhouse Waterhouse may refer to:
People
*Waterhouse (surname)
Places
* Waterhouse, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
* Waterhouse Island (disambiguation)
* Waterhouse district of Kingston, Jamaica
** Waterhouse F.C., a football club based in the Waterho ...
Contemporary classical compositions
2010 compositions