artless beauty in pursuit of theory, Op. 3 (2023) for violin and viola

My series of compositions, artless beauty in pursuit of theory, comprises three separate pieces so far, each with different instrumentation: a mixed chamber ensemble with live electronics (2009), a string trio (2022), and a string duet (2023) written for Mia Detwiler (violin) and Michael Capone (viola). The second and third pieces grow out of the previous piece’s musical design, and more pieces are planned for the near future. All of them share central material derived from intervallic ideas that evoke “beauty” in a post-romantic sense. These pieces explore various facets of beauty and remark on a traditional one, and so (de)harmonize with each other’s purpose and meaning. I consider each piece a rebirth of the underlying material, drawing inspiration from Yunhoi, the Korean word for rebirth by Karma, for the compositional cycle.

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Score