String Quartet No. II

(excerpt - mvt. IV / "pre-amble")

performed by the Goldner String Quartet

I - (4:45

II - (2:35)

III - (6:30)

IV - (8:00)

"Nigel Westlake's music is driven by nervous rhythmic energy, ducking & weaving any obvious constraint of metre like an artful youth who wont stand still. When applied to the string quartet, this creates a bracing, driven texture, leaping fearlessly from one dextrous feat to another. When accomplished as bravely as by the four players of the Goldner String Quartet, the results - in places such as the swooping closing passages of the finale - can be thrilling".

Sydney Morning Herald 25/10/05

In four movements, String quartet No. 2 was composed for the Goldner string quartet to commemorate the 90th birthday of one of Australia’s most prominent musical philanthropists, Kenneth  Tribe AC AO & is dedicated to him.

Leaning towards more traditional forms of structure, the work is divided into 4 contrasting movements that encompass a wide range of emotional expression. The musical language is simply based on the building of musical resonances, melodic contours & rhythmic impetus. 

The compositional process can be difficult to quantify & frequently operates on a subliminal level.  My past experience with the members of the quartet (we all played together in the Australia Ensemble from 1987 –92) served as a touchstone in the writing of this work, this knowledge in some ways informing certain decisions during the compositional process.

The 1st movement opens with a series of fragmented gestures, fluctuating in tempo & dynamic, the music taking a moment to find its feet before settling into a driving exploration of changing metres, polyrhythms, displaced accents & percussive devices.  It ends with a free form viola solo that is underpinned by an accompaniment of repeated cello semiquavers & displaced violin pizzicato ostinati.

Predominantly in a lilting feel of five eight, the 2nd movement acts as a short interlude of whimsical character, separating the serious determination of the 1st movement & the subdued lyricism of the 3rd movement.

In contrast to the rest of the quartet, the 3rd movement consists of music of a slow & sustained nature.

It is characterised by long extended melodies that gather momentum, reaching a peak of intensity about halfway through, that then subside & fade to nothing over an unresolved sustain.

A “pre-amble” marked “freely with expression - quasi improvisatorial” opens the 4th movement & serves as a bridging mechanism. A series of free form violin phrases are echoed by muted cello, supported by a sustained drone of the middle voices. The mood is broken by a sudden “attacca” which launches the final section of the work, a manic & unrelenting scherzo characterized by feverish semiquaver activity, percussive string writing & rhythmic invention.

String quartet No. 2 was commissioned for the Goldner quartet & Musica Viva by Kenneth W. Tribe.