The winners 2021

This year's challenge was to compose a short piece for string quartet and an amazing array of composers from around the world submitted a rich variety of strong contenders. Finally, though, the panel of judges made their selection:

Ralf Dorrell: Jigsaw Jig

This piece was written for a baroque string quartet (but would work equally well on modern instruments). It is a contemporary take on baroque dance music with a groove to ‘nod your head to’. The title is based on the fact that that none of the instruments has the main melody, but all the parts interlock to create the overall picture – like a jigsaw. The form is similar to a rondo but the opening section is often varied on each return (usually by giving one of the players a break...)

Enjoy!



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  • Description

This piece was written for a baroque string quartet (but would work equally well on modern instruments). It is a contemporary take on baroque dance music with a groove to ‘nod your head to’. The title is based on the fact that that none of the instruments has the main melody, but all the parts interlock to create the overall picture – like a jigsaw. The form is similar to a rondo but the opening section is often varied on each return (usually by giving one of the players a break...)

Enjoy!



Alexander Petshaft: Song and Dance

Song and Dance is a composition inspired by my Jewish upbringing. Judaism is filled with songs with beautiful melodies as well as many fast and lively dances. My composition aims to capture both with a lyrical and melodic A section followed by a rhythmic and lively B section, before revisiting the opening music to give a satisfying overall shape.

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  • Description

Song and Dance is a composition inspired by my Jewish upbringing. Judaism is filled with songs with beautiful melodies as well as many fast and lively dances. My composition aims to capture both with a lyrical and melodic A section followed by a rhythmic and lively B section, before revisiting the opening music to give a satisfying overall shape.

Massimo De Lillo: Come bianca luce

Through the depth of sound and expressive possibilities of the baroque string quartet, Come bianca luce (As white light) evokes the emotions and feelings aroused by the vision of white light and its surprising chromatic variations: from the welcoming, soft and reassuring tone of warm light to the silent, icy and sharp white of cold light.

From a formal point of view, the work has the following structure: A, B, C, A’. The harmonic language is based on the continuous expansion and loosening of tonality through the use of quartal and quintal harmony and dissonant notes.

The piece is inspired by verses from the “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri (“Paradiso”, canto I, vv. 1-9, 64-72 and canto XXXIII, vv. 121-145), in which light plays a very important role. The piece is dedicated to the people who are victims of war and terrorism, because white, a symbol of purity, peace, spirituality and eternity, represents our hope for the future and trust in others.

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  • Description

Through the depth of sound and expressive possibilities of the baroque string quartet, Come bianca luce (As white light) evokes the emotions and feelings aroused by the vision of white light and its surprising chromatic variations: from the welcoming, soft and reassuring tone of warm light to the silent, icy and sharp white of cold light.

From a formal point of view, the work has the following structure: A, B, C, A’. The harmonic language is based on the continuous expansion and loosening of tonality through the use of quartal and quintal harmony and dissonant notes.

The piece is inspired by verses from the “Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri (“Paradiso”, canto I, vv. 1-9, 64-72 and canto XXXIII, vv. 121-145), in which light plays a very important role. The piece is dedicated to the people who are victims of war and terrorism, because white, a symbol of purity, peace, spirituality and eternity, represents our hope for the future and trust in others.