Ritus

Notes

Ritus was commissioned by the Endellion String Quartet for their 40th Anniversary. The title comes from the Sanskrit word “ritu” for “season”, while simultaneously referencing the Latin word for ceremony. In each movement, the instruments of the quartet take turns at being the principal voice, depicting evocative elements of the four seasons:

I. ‘Shoots‘ begins with a tentative first sign of life in spring. The different textures compete for prominence and become a brief waltz which then grows into a life-force-explosion.

II. ‘Crickets‘ is a playful scherzo echoing the sounds and mating rituals of summer insects.

III. ‘Skein‘ depicts the journey of migratory birds. Their flying patterns are reflected in the interlocking violin parts, while the viola’s melody travels through different soundscapes and cultures, starting with Elgarian (or Ades quoting Elgar quoting Beethoven) melody, ending in gamelan-like South-East Asian tonalities.

IV. ‘Melting‘ is a picture of a winter cut short. Spring returns.