Grisaille (2023)
Instrumentation: fl, cl, t. sax, tbn, vc, dbDuration: c.a. 9'
Premiere: 3. 11. 2023, Venuše ve Švehlovce, Ensemble Terrible
Photo from the concert
Over the years, it felt that I've been making little musical detours here and there, but always circling back to the core of what my interests are - I started to notice that in 2024 when looking back on previous pieces as they all shared similar properties, but the bachelor studies allowed me to find a nuanced language to be able to describe and find elements which I resonate with a lot with. This process, of course, is life-long as we quickly realise that we can't possibly know everything, even about ourselves.
Year 2023 was interesting in this regard, because I took several such detours - the piece Grisaille was one of them. I decided to focus on nuanced shades of noises and thematic material. It is an extremely quiet piece, necessary to be amplified live in order for the room to be filled with noise.
Program note:
Grisaille is a painting that appears to be monochrome. The piece works with the idea of the material being lost in the texture and coming to the surface in layers and re-interpretations of the material itself.
The piece has mostly two or three layers happening at the same time. Motifs/themes are thought of as the type of material rather than concrete rhythms or pitches. Some material disappears throughout the piece and each layer gradually comes into life.
The piece must be amplified to exaggerate the quiet sounds. Overall sound mix is supposed to sound cold (more treble than middle-range frequencies).
The instruments should always play without vibrato at all times unless specifically mentioned.
Form of the piece