Ramon Humet
Fràgil
Duration: 17'
Instrumentation details:
violin I
violin II
viola
violoncello
Fràgil
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Work introduction
Fràgil (Fragile) was commissioned by l’Auditori, Barcelona. It was premiered in the Sampler Series by the Armida Quartett during the 2018-2019 season in Barcelona, and in Theater im Delphi, Berlin. There is a version for string quartet and electronics.
Extreme limits are fertile zones in which new kinds of sounds appear, new perceptive horizons. The upper auditory extreme connects with white noise. I was interested in exploring the point at which the high note is surrounded by the dominant presence of scratched strings; a thin, high-frequency thread surrounded by a sea of sound. I also explored the transition into silence by means of different levels of bow pressure, as well as by using bows without rosin. The work is characterised, particularly, by the technique of using varying degrees of light bow pressure while playing very fast.
Fragility implies awareness of the horizon of non-existence. Just as in a wood at evening when certain colours, sounds and smells manifest themselves, the threshold between sound and silence transforms the clarity of a particular timbre into an ambiguous, richly-nuanced situation. Sound and noise are confused, and a sounded silence in the form of very light bowing (flautando) comes to the fore.
Fràgil (Fragile) is constructed in seven movements: I. Fràgil (Fragile), II. Silenci (Silence), III. Flor (Flower), IV. Fràgil (Fragile), V. Flor (Flower), VI. Silenci (Silence), VII. Fràgil (Fragile), generating a symmetrical, overall form based on three elements. The element “Fragile” is based on joint accentuated attacks that generate harmonic resonances, like those of small glass bells. “Silence” uses the non-rosined bow to give colour to the sounded silence. The element “Flower” evokes a destabilising melodic motif which gives way to a small destructive catastrophe, the point of departure for a new cycle.
The work is dedicated in gratitude to the violinist, my friend Josep Maria Ferrando. With great patience, he helped me understand the way to play the violin with only light pressure; and he suggested we try using a bow without rosin in order to achieve a fainter, more fragile sound.
Ramon Humet