String Quartet No.2: Contra-Statement

for string quartet (2012)

premiered by the Arditti Quartet at the Manifeste Festival, June 30, 2012

Irvine Arditti, first violin
Ashot Sarkissjan, second violin
Ralf Ehlers, viola
Lucas Fels, cello

scored published by Edition Gravis

• About the work

  Contra-statement engages with the inner workings of string instruments that are perceived at resonance rate. Specific harmonic nodes pertaining to string instrument positions produce a residual signal that is composed of discrete resonance peaks, which virtually generate a pitch perception due to its spectral structure.

  For this work, the related analyses show that such phenomenon can be stimulated to design a harmonic relationship between the virtual pitches and physically played ones if accurate filtering methods, such as bowing or specific fingering combinations, are applied in fine-tuned ways. As an acoustic piece as well as a piece addressing the acoustics of string instruments, Contra-statement intends to explore the ways in which this sonic-temporal output generates a dialogue with perceived spaces.

  Contra-statement is dedicated to all fellow artists who are held in prisons in Turkey, where the Ministry of Interior Affairs, İdris Nedim Şahin, stated in a public speech on December 26, 2011 that art is a form of terrorist propaganda.

  ©Turgut Erçetin 2010-2026 (All rights reserved).

• Recordings

  Audio (SoundCloud)
  
  This work is also featured on Turgut Erçetin's first portrait CD, Panopticon Specularities (RZ 1030, 2019).

• Selected reviews

  • "Bahsedilmeyenlerin Tarihine" Müzikal Bir Yolculuk, Sami Kısaoğlu (September 29, 2012, in Turkish).

For preview purposes only. © 2010-2026 Turgut Erçetin. All rights reserved.