Commissioned by Nicholas DiEugenio and Mimi Solomon for the “Unraveling Beethoven” Project

Tribute (Axis II) explores the concept of horizontal motion across the surface of one string, inspired by the elegance, simplicity, and “anti-virtuosity” of Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 10, Op. 96. The distinctive opening trill of the first movement is re-interpreted as an intensification of line – one that is both a melodic line and the physical one of the string. From the outset, the border blurs between distortion and pitch, especially as the violinist plays along the various axes of bow weight, bow speed, and sounding point. This idea is also prevalent in the piano writing, which maximizes the sound world of the lowest two notes by activating harmonics and resonances along the strings.