Wachstum und Massenmord für Titel, Streichquartett und Programmnote

(aus: Instruments &) für Titel, Streichquartett und Programmnote (2010) – ~ 10'

Wachstum und Massenmord ist für Titel, Streichquartett und Programmnote, wobei ich diese drei Elemente als unabhängige und ebenbürtige Komponenten ansehe und Titel und Programmnote nicht etwa nur Zusätze zum «eigentlichen» Werk, dem Streichquartett, darstellen. (Peter Ablinger)

The rehearsal is the piece
The part of the string quartet is presented as a rehearsal. The performers have not seen the score (except this foreword) ahead of time, and will receive it only directly before the performance, or, the scores are waiting for them on their music-stands.

Position
The seating of the quartet is a perfect square. Violin 2 and Viola are positioned more or less as usual. Violin 1 and Violoncello are seen half from the back. The positioning should help to only communicate under each other and not with the audience.

Audience and privacy
When entering the stage and before leaving it, bow to the audience as usual. But between that try to ignore the presence of an audience and stay private. Behave as you were alone and rehearsing or having a first lecture of a piece. Everything should be completely natural. Without any kind of acting or theatre. Don’t try to make it interesting for the audience. When you talk to each other don’t try to be understandable for the audience. Whenever you have the feeling that you are not successful with creating that private rehearsal situation, or when the situation becomes like theatre: better stop the piece at any time! (In that case finish it formally, bow to the audience, leave stage ...).

The pencil
In parts the rehearsal might be a lecture rehearsal where you are just organizing the score, making entries for coordination, bowing and fingerings and almost nothing is really played (therefore: have a pencil with you!).

Scordatura
After a short Prologue the score will ask you for a Scordatura of all 4 Instruments:
Violin 1 tunes down all 4 strings one semitone lower [f#, c#1, g#1, d#2].
Violin 2 tunes down all 4 strings one whole tone lower [f, c1, g1, d2].
Viola tunes down all 4 strings a minor third lower [A, e, b, f#1].
Violoncello tunes down all 4 strings a mayor third lower [1Ab, Eb, Bb, f].
From this point on the notated pitches are indicating the finger position while the actual sound is lower (according to your Scordatura).
Symmetrically, before the Epilogue, the score will ask you to retune your strings to normal.
In case that this causes problems for the stability of intonation for the following pieces on the program you may decide to use alternative instruments for this piece.

Duration
The score, when played once in the final tempo, would last only slightly more than 2 minutes. The duration of your performance/rehearsal is up to you. I imagine that 15 minutes should be about the minimum.

Repetition of the performance
Can the piece be performed another time by the same quartet? I would say, yes, as long there is something left to rehearse.
(Peter Ablinger)

ablinger.mur.at/scores/i&_title_4word_programnote.pdf