Nikolaus Brass's 'etchings' for string quartet incorporates scratching sounds, microtonality, blazing trills, and sharp tremolo effects, reflecting the 'etching of metal by means of metal' as suggested by the title.
Composition History
Since 2002, the International Music Competition of the ARD in Munich has made a contemporary work compulsory for each of its four annual categories.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Johannes Maria Staud's 'Towards a Brighter Hue' for violin was inspired by David Nash's sculptures, where different woods have different hues, and he sought to adapt this musically.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Esa-Pekka Salonen's 'knock, breathe, shine' for cello solo refers to the first two lines of John Donne's 14th Holy Sonnet, and its three-part structure could symbolize the Holy Trinity.
Composition History
The contemporary works commissioned for the ARD Music Competition must be 8 to 12 minutes long and technically and musically demanding to test a participant's abilities.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Nikolaus Brass describes his 'etchings' for string quartet as 'eloquent' music that 'speaks, says something again and again, questions, and formulate things anew and differently'.
Critical Reception
The ARD Music Competition offers a special prize for particularly excellent interpretations of commissioned works, as first prize winners are not always those who offer the 'best interpretation'.
