Kari Watson

Kari Watson

Kinetics: 21 microludes for string quartet

(2019)

for string quartet

1 Episodic, Severe
2 Delicate, Breathing
3 Boiling Over
4 Dry, Disparate
5 Viola Solo/Push and Pull Freely
6 Choppy, Carving
7 Stirring, Lumping
8 Bustling, Fierce
9 Cello Solo/Stretching, Jumping
10 Weighty, Lethargic
11 Shear, Glassy
12 Luminous, Floating for Emily
13 Violin I Solo/Quiet, Fragile
14 Agitated, Trudging
15 Sweeping, Smooth
16 Warm, Woven
17 Violin II Solo/Rough, Resonant
18 Light, Metered
19 Exuberant, Blazing
20 Sloping, Tipping
21 In Synchrony

Kinetics, comprised of 21 microludes after Kurtag’s 12 Microludes, is an exploration of the string quartet’s ability to portray different kinds of motion as a unit, as various subsets, and as individual instruments.

This exploration of motion unfolds in the form of miniatures, allowing for several disparate characters of music to coexist while 4 solos, based off of similar material, weave a thread of continuity throughout. The piece culminates in the ensemble acting as one, playing the final “solo” movement in unison.