Johannes Maria Staud (1974)

Dichotomie (1997 -1998)

for string quartet

  • General information
    • Composition date: 1997 - 1998
    • Duration: 16 mn
    • Publisher: Universal Edition
    • Commission: État fédéral du Tyrol
Detailed formation
  • 1 violin, 1 second violin, 1 viola, 1 cello

Premiere information

  • Date: 28 July 1999
    Location:

    Autriche, Ebbs, église, Erl Tyrolean Festival


    Performers:

    le quatuor Hugo Wolf.

Program note

I borrowed this work’s title (English: dichotomy) from the field of botany, where it is used to describe the fork-like branching out of plants as they sprout. The basic idea of the piece is similar. The first movement (indirectly) approaches a state of bifurcation, but ends up arriving at a confluence – upon which the second movement initially builds. But gradually, the music begins to develop in a completely new direction. It was my goal to accomplish this gradual change in perspective with as much suspense as possible – using only a few germ cells, the apparent forms of which continually change, while at the same time influencing one another.

Johannes Maria Staud.