One Dollar Mandala - for string quartet
OA Version
Citation
Abstract
One Dollar Mandala is a string quartet in five movements. Each of the movements can function separately as a short piece and together they create a cyclical form that takes a little over half an hour in performance. The first movement, in its playful persistence pays homage to Gyorgi Kurtag's string quartet op.1. The second movement - under a working title "chorale" - alludes to rich harmonies of Bach and Scriabin that I can't stop admiring. The third movement, in rehearsals referred to as "mazurek" is a return to my roots of Polish folk dances and shows my admiration for Szymanowski's brilliant Mazurki op.50 for the piano. The fourth movement is a fragilite, a poem harking back to the sensual aspect of Scriabin's music. The final movement is a moto perpetuo exploring my fascination for the South Indian classical drumming tradition.