ICARUS TORSO

étude concertante for viola and orchestra

2019

Commission: International Week of New Music Bucharest

Duration: 12 minutes

Premiere: May 2019, International Week of New Music, Romanian Radio Chamber Orchestra, conductor Marijn Simons, Radio Hall

Orchestra: 1., A-Fl., 1., Eb Cl., B-Cl., C-Bs.; 2, 0, 0, 0; Timp., 2Perc., Hp.; strings

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Icarus Torso, is a poetic study for viola and orchestra in one movement, tracing the trajectory of 4 sections: Măiastra takes inspiration from Brâncuși's capturing of "flight" in his sculptures, Hubris pushes the limits of the upper registre of the viola with a soaring melody in the tradition of electric guitar solos, Event Horizon points to the region of spacetime around a black hole beyond which light emitted can not reach the outside observer and Elon's Ride refers to Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster that currently orbits the Sun, carrying in the driver's seat the mannequin "Starman", named after David Bowie's song. The work explores the concertante genre in the light of performative aspects and attempts to fuse heterogenous concepts, sonic materials and temporalities, in an alternative narrative to the ancient myth.

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Vlad Maistorovici

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Photos: Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster, Barncuși's Măiastra, Event Horizon Telescope's 2019 photo of the black hole at the centre of galaxy M87, Sasha Meret's Hand Made Wing