Score
The Paradoxical Absolute : for violin and viola / James Cuddeford.
Library shelf no. 785.712/CUD 1 [Available for loan]
Work Overview
Using a title of a painting by Robert Ryman and obliquely
referring to Kierkegaard's concept of the "Absolute Paradox,"
this duo takes the material reality (a Ryman phrase) of both
instrument's scordiatura as its starting point. The violin and
viola both retune their lowest string so that they share the same
pitch: a low D. However, as the viola string has increased
tension and the violin string has lessened tension, differing
qualities and characters are discernible in this common tone.
The players interweave and develop melodic phrases that resemble
brass fanfares and laments, whilst a recurring, ambiguous and
rather self-contradictory episode splits the duo into dangerously
wide extremes...
Work Details
Year: 2025
Instrumentation: Violin, viola.
Duration: 7 min.
Difficulty: Advanced — scordatura involved
First performance: by James Cuddeford, William Lane — South China Contemporary Creative Music Institue, Guangzhou, China
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