Curvatures was composed in Oberlin, Ohio (2001, revised in Oberlin, 2004). This work was created for amplified string quartet (acoustic or Zeta instruments) and live electronics. The sounds of the quartet are manipulated with effects units or a computer. Signal processing techniques modify the timbral characteristics of the quartet; sometimes to a large degree but very often in subtle ways, allowing the audience to wonder whether particular sounds are from the real quartet or a virtual quartet. One of my compositional goals was to traverse a wide range of sonic worlds. Within a relatively short piece, the music navigates between fast and slow, thick and thin, chaotic and serene, minimal and fugal, cerebral and emotional, and so on. I wanted to compose a piece that would keep the listener on their toes, present occasional surprises, and provide something for the body and the brain. I am indebted to the original performers for their dedication and persistence in helping me develop this music: Erica Dicker, violin; Gillian Rivers, violin; Amy Cimini, viola; and Robin Reynolds, ‘cello.
© fwmp 2004
"A rich and sensuous piece for amplified string quartet, Mr. Lopez' work in one movement is extremely well-written for strings taking advantage of a wide range of playing styles as well as a wide emotional range. The work begins with the quartet alone introducing well-crafted and distinctive musical ideas. The development of the ideas begins quickly and at this point some of the amplification and processing effects begin to become apparent. Within a minute, the sound of the quartet coming from the stage is enveloped in a sphere of reprocessed sounds, as if the air inside the theater itself were a resonant shell surrounding the live quartet. The quartet members played with tremendous skill and great delicacy. The performance styles demanded by the composer ranged broadly but all parts were built into a well-defined and architecturally sound whole. The combination of live strings and processed string sounds gave the work a visceral quality, allowing the audience to feel as well as here the sensuousness of the sounds."- www.societyofcomposers.org, Society of Composers, Inc., Monday, April 12, 2004, John Bilotta