About the piece
In Quintet for Bass Guitar and Strings I looked for a common space between contemporary classical music and rock. Through examining sounds and techniques of contemporary acoustic music, I found a connection to the sound world of electric guitars, digital effects, and synthesizers that are part of rock and progressive rock. The result is a blend of classical gestures and patterns with funky rhythms and the directness and drive of rock music. Quintet for Bass Guitar and Strings is proudly influenced by (and even quoting from) Jethro Tull's “Aqualung,” Ravel’s String Quartet, Rush's “YYZ,” Chatschaturian's Oriental Dance, Led Zeppelin's “Kashmir,” Pink Floyd's “Young Lust,” Beethoven's The Farewell Sonata, The Who's Quadrophenia, Radiohead's Kid A, Extreme's “Cupid's Dead,” Wagner's Prelude for Tristan and Isolde, Roger Waters' The Pros and Cons of Hitch-Hiking, Pink Floyd's “Vera,” and Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony.
Selections from the premiere performance:
Quintet for Bass Guitar and Strings
For 2 violins, viola, cello, and bass guitar
Length: 20 minutes (each movement may be played individually)
This performance:
Andrea Hallam, violin I
Yonah Zur, violin II
Jonathan Keren, viola
Gal Nyska, cello
Gilad Cohen, bass guitar
