Odyssey for solo violin (2018)

Instrumentation:

Violin

Duration: ca. 7’

About the piece:

Odyssey explores the movement of string crossing on the violin, as well as the upward and downward motion of the bow and fingers from the fingerboard to behind the bridge. This idea of movement is present throughout the piece as the material develops and transforms, as if on a long and exciting journey.

There are three sections in the piece: the first one focuses on glissandi (the motion of the fingers up and down the fingerboard), the second one on arpeggiated chords (the motion of string crossing and bow moving from fingerboard to behind the bridge) and the third one features ricochet (bouncing of the bow on the string) combined with glissandi. On a broader level, there is movement in the shifting of timbres and in the feeling of tension and release.

Odyssey is written for and dedicated to my dear friend Natalie Koh.​

First performance: 

November 2018, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore

Performed by:

Natalie Koh (violin)

Score can be accessed here