“Tetrachord” in Sofia

“Tetrachord is a one movement symphony orchestra piece I composed for the 2023 Sofia Symphonic Summit. The piece has two parts contrasted in tempo, emotionality, rhythmical values, and orchestration. It is based on few tetrachords that appear in different shapes and combinations—homophonic, polyphonic, and melodic. The challenge I set for myself was to work with limited sound material that engage the audience in a particular way. It is the audience ears that, hearing the tetrachords, fills the missing notes of the full scale. I offer a part of an image; the audience completes the rest. Multi-layer texture and heterophony are two important elements in this piece. The continuity of the piece is ensured by the chain form technique. The first part has a fast tempo, harsh articulations, and a rhetorical character. The second part is more static, spacious, and has a dreaming character. The piece ends with a long diatonic cluster leaving the audience with the impression that the piece has not ended or will not end. Here, I treat the orchestra as one unit, with the intention of avoiding solo instrument sounds.” Zaid Jabri