South African Music for String Quartet Baxter Concert Hall 1 August 2023

South African Music for String Quartet

COMPOSERS:
Eden Macfarlane-Jones
Assoc Prof Bongani Ndodana-Breen
Monthati Masebe
Assoc Prof Martin Watt

WITH THE KIRBY QUARTET:
Nicholas Bruiners (violin)
Kaitlin Visser (violin)
Micaela Arries (viola)
Seul Pearl Jung (cello)

PROGRAMME NOTES:
Midnight Shore - Eden Macfarlane-Jones
‘Midnight shore’ was written as a prelude to ‘Caliginosity’. It is a programmatic work which portrays an enchanting tableau set against the backdrop of a nocturnal shoreline. In its brevity, this work strives to encapsulate not only the tranquil undulations of an ocean tide, but also the capricious and ever-changing essence that resides within its depths. The ocean came to represent both my childhood fear and a longing for knowing what was beneath its surface. Both pieces were written during lockdown. A time of forced isolation and immobility.
Caliginosity - Eden Macfarlane-Jones
At midnight, when there is seemingly not a single person left awake, the darkened world is free to drop its safe allure. A metamorphosis takes place. The whispers of the wind blowing through the trees now become a devastating howl. Darkened objects transform into shadowed figures, dancing to the flickering moonlight. The creatures of the night fight to be heard. Moments of silences have now become spaces of piercing anxiety. Heartbeats become a reactionary element to the world around. Their constant thumps merge with the sound of the night. Even innermost thoughts now sing along to the night’s sinister tune. Mind and body have become the instruments that increase and decrease the intensity of the surrounding cacophony. All control is lost. You are forced to listen to the midnight song, hoping only for the eventual first rays of light.

Impepho - Bongani Ndodana Breen
“Impepho” is dried liquorice plant burned as incense in a sacred rite of the Xhosa people of South Africa to communicate with ancestral spirits so they may intercede on our behalf. The music is based on African traditional modes with some influences from various African musical traditions. Some of the melodic fragments that develop out of the musical fabric of the piece echo (with some variation and filtering) musical phrases used by traditional healers in their rites.

Nomadic Nirvana - Monthati Masebe
Composed in 2018, this piece re-imagines mbira patterns for strings. It can be quite rhythmically challenging but the interwoven final product will take you through a journey from the old to the new.
“The memory in your senses illuminates the ancestral wisdom imprinted in your DNA when you feel like you’re alone and your voice is insignificant. Remember that you are an extension of centuries of intelligence and by being here, breathing you are divine. You matter, no matter the circumstance. Tap into the depth of your love, and let it heal you and the wounds of your generation.” Masebe

String Quartet no. II - Martin Watt
Preludio, Passacaglia, Minuetto & Trio Rondo
The Preludio is in a modified sonata form. The exposition has a first theme group consisting of two texturally contrasting themes. The bridge passage leads to a third, more lyrical theme. The exposition concludes with a short codetta. The development section comprises various alterations and fragmentations of the thematical material. The recapitulation is shortened, since the thematic material is not heard in its entirety again. The order of the appearance of themes is also reversed.
The term Passacaglia derives from the Spanish word “pasar” (to walk) and has an eight-bar long ostinato melody as a basis for the second movement. Traditionally, a passacaglia is heard in the bassline throughout, but here all the members of the quartet share this melody.
The Minuetto & Trio has a traditional eight-bar periodic structure with regular four- bar phrases. While the Minuetto is stately and gracious, the Trio is more flowing and regular.
The finale is in a traditional rondo form, with a recurring (but varied in texture and duration) and alternating episodes. The second episode draws material from the quartet’s first movement and the third episode from that of the third movement. The whole work ends in a liberating tonal release – resoundingly so in D-flat major.