Glyph
Judith Shatin
About this work:
Glyph, (1984) for solo viola, string quartet, and piano, was inspired by the compositional process, in which the carving of sound in relief through time creates a kind of “glyph,” a figure carved in relief. Each of the four movements, titled Luminous, Flickering, Ecstatic, and Incandescent, plays with aspects of light, whether spiritual, physical, as it shines on that glyph. These qualities of light are made vivid by the shifting relationships that color the interactions of the solo viola, quartet and piano. A lyrical opening movement is followed by a piquant second movement, an atmospheric and stratospheric third and a burning finale. Glyph was commissioned and premiered by the late violist Rosemary Glyde, to whom it is dedicated. The first performance took place with Ms. Glyde as soloist and with the Manhattan String Quartet and pianist Norman Carey on November 14, 1984 at Merkin Hall in New York City. It has since been performed by groups including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with violist Paul Neubauer.
Year composed: 1984
Duration: 00:17:00
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 6-9 players
Instrumentation: 1 Piano, 1 Violin, ,1 Viola soloist(s), 1 Cello
Instrumentation notes: solo vla, 2 vln, vla, vc, pno