All human beings face death sometime in their lives. Grief is a necessary process of adjusting to continuing life without the significant someone. Each of us has our own unique way to grieve, but there are some emotions and feelings that are shared during the process of grief, even throughout the centuries.
In Lamento Ragazze dwells on the varied ways in which human beings commemorate their deceased with music. From Gesualdo (late-Renaissance) via the famous Dido’s Lament by Purcell (Baroque), to Romanticism in Mendelssohn’s String Quartet Op.80. This quartet is dedicated to his sister Fanny who passed away suddenly, and is writen only two months before his own death.
These works will be combined with Elegy in Me, a commission to Seung-Won Oh, whose affinity with the traditional Korean music and customs resonates within her contemporary musical idiom and performance practice. The piece they creates an opening for new sounds and approaches to influence the genre of the string quartet, originally rooted in western tradition.
Lamento will premiere at the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam in January 2024 and tour consecutively.