DUO, 1987, for violin and piano
Publisher: Ricordi, 1987 | Duration: 7'55 min.
Duo examines the possibilities of certain harmonic cells provided with specific dynamic tension, in a progressively increasing sonorous sequence, starting with the triton with which the piece begins and which runs emblematically throughout the composition. The triton flows into the minor second passage, which is another frequently recurring theme in the violin part, especially with its periodic lingering on the C sharp-D interval.
The first part presents this material in total rhythmic freedom, concentrating melodic attention on the violin, whilst the piano simply reinforces its key-notes.
Subsequently, the piano joins the violin’s dashes, forming a whole, underlining the progressive rhythmic exacerbation of the score and adding an accompanying repeated arpeggio, which rests on the same notes.
This arpeggio creates clusters of chords in which the violin seems to spring, without any intervening passages, from its deepest register to the highest, often making use of harmonics. The incandescent conflict of the central pages abates when the violin subsides and the piano plays a long solo, the score thus seeming to overturn the subordinate position that the keyboard occupied at the start.