Score
Kōan IV : a lesson upon Mozart with Kurtág, for solo viola / James Cuddeford.
Library shelf no. 787.3/CUD 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
A kōan is a paradoxical statement or ambiguous riddle used by certain Zen practitioners to aid meditation and bypass normal intellectual thought processes. My series of works with this title are reflections upon self-constructed, enigmatic, musical kōans that provide stimulus in the compositional process.
Kōan IV (a lesson upon Mozart with Kurtág) is based upon
material from the first movement of Mozart's great
Divertimento in E flat KV 563. As a teenager I studied
this work in great depth during chamber music classes with
Kurtág. He would employ what could be described as musical kōans
as inspirational guides in his lessons. The Mozart is here
refracted through Kurtág's intense teaching and vision-"giant
steps", concepts of intonation, intervallic stretching, rhythmic
"games", phrasing challenges-and the personal response I had to
his approach (most notably, the nervous chattering of teeth,
quasi Vivaldi).
James Cuddeford
Work Details
Year: 2016
Instrumentation: Viola.
Duration: 7 min.
Difficulty: Advanced
First performance: by James Cuddeford — 17 Jan 17. The Fringe Club Hall, Hong Kong
Performances of this work
17 Jan 17: The Fringe Club Hall, Hong Kong. Featuring James Cuddeford.
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