Program Notes

Ice to Vapour is a work for string quartet that illustrates the various states of water using a variety of creative and technical choices. The first section has a constant rhythmic pulse that is interrupted by accents forming the jagged lines of an iceberg. As the ice starts to melt, the strings use different bowing techniques to change the timbres indicating a shift in states. In liquid, both violins share a folk-inspired melody formed by smooth glissandos before leading into an increasingly intense raindrop texture. The final section exclusively uses harmonics which make the strings sound light and spacey as the piece slowly evaporates.