Edition Schott

In the composition of this string quartet, I have permitted myself to be led by my personality and experiences and have attempted to relate experiences such as divorce, separation and the failure of a relationship in the language of music with the aid of notes and rhythms. As is the case with my other compositions, this quartet is more a work originating from intuition than the description of a historical event, a journey or a place.
The beginning of the first movement is somewhat wild, rapid and sorrowful with an irregular rhythm. Intermittent sections ensue which are reminiscent of a jazz club. Living history is our present which we are currently experiencing. The second movement with a melancholic atmosphere is dominated by colours, the subject of searching, the search for a remedy and unhappiness. In contrast, the final movement is intended to express the hatefulness, arguments and disputes within a relationship which have been transformed into a profound trauma.
(Fazil Say, translated by Lindsay Chalmers-Gerbracht) Instrumentation : string quartet op. 29