Between the Smallest of Spaces
Amplified Viola and Snare Drum (10 mins)
Between the Smallest of Spaces was first written for percussionist Gloria Yehilevsky who was programming a concert of new works for percussion and other instruments. The unusual combination of solo string instrument and snare drum was originally suggested by Gloria, and despite the fact that they are rarely paired together as a duo, each are capable of producing a complex variety of pitched and unpitched sounds.
The piece is an exploration of the timbral similarities between the two instruments using nonstandard playing techniques. Extreme contrasts of sonic texture are placed alongside one another throughout the piece to emphasise a dichotomy between ‘macroscopic’ and ‘microscopic’ sounds.
This piece was revised in 2022, exploring the same ideas of the first version but incorporating an added layer of improvisatory freedom and development.
