Han Lash

In four movements, this piece seeks to place itself within the context of large string quartets, while simultaneously breaking from the genre altogether in the third movement. There is a song in the third movement, sung by the cellist. Suddenly lyrics come into play: language within an otherwise wordless context. It arrives in the final portion of this expansive movement, presented in the simplest possible manner with sparse accompaniment and a featured vocal line, appearing suddenly—something of a pop song—rupturing the surrounding music, and then disappearing as quickly as it appeared as the fourth movement begins. The four-movement form plays with the idea of thematic interconnectedness, though each movement presents its own unique character within the whole. Certain motivic mutations become obsessions. To me, building the piece felt akin to building a symphony. The ambition of the form, however, aims not at technical bravura, but at deep, sometimes wrenching expressivity—a song at the heart of the entire piece.

– Hannah Lash