Fragments from the Shore

by Johanna Eränkö

for French horn and string quartet

Description

In the summer of 2018, I spent two weeks at the Arts Iceland artist residency in the Westfjords of Iceland, supported by a grant from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, where I began composing my work Fragments from the Shore. However, the more intensive composition periods took place in early 2019 and 2020.

One of the sources of inspiration has been Iceland and its nature. The nature of Iceland is both rugged and beautiful. For someone accustomed to forests, it takes a moment to appreciate the richness and diversity of the vegetation on the initially seemingly barren mountains and valleys. The scale of everything is much smaller, yet close to the ground, there is a wealth of colorful and unique flora. The natural phenomenon of erosion—caused by wind, water, or ice—is also clearly visible in Iceland. However, we humans also play a part in this process.

As a compositional starting point, I explored how to depict erosion musically, leading to the title of the first movement, "Erosion." The work is divided into three parts. In the first part, an old Icelandic hymn tune is incorporated into the harmonic texture. However, the harmonies and melodic elements are in a constant state of flux, eroding and fragmenting. In the second part, "Lamentato," the texture also continuously transforms but in a more subtle manner. In the third and final part, "Fragments," the shorter, fragmented motifs eventually coalesce into a unified whole.

Instrumentation

hn, 2vln, vla, vlc

Category

Chamber Works

Premiere

Tommi Hyytinen, horn, Kamus -quartet (Terhi Paldanius, vln, Jukka Untamala, vln, Jussi Tuhkanen, vla, Petja Kainulainen, vlc), Tampere Biennale @Tulkinnanvaraista, 14th of September 2021, Tampere, Finland

Movements

1. Erosion, 2. Lamentato, 3. Fragments

Commisioned by / dedications

In memory of my eldest brother

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Archive number

MF35743

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