Infinite Wave (Instrumental Quartet)

Infinite Wave was inspired by an artwork of the same title by the Japanese artist Takayuki Yoshida. I became aware of his work during lockdown, and his miniature canvases immediately appealed to me. Often no more than a few centimetres in size, these pieces use a technique of painting where individual brushstrokes are interlaced in an infinitely repeating pattern, creating coherence and a sense of meditative ease to the work. This piece was intended to be an evocation of this feeling, with the individual flowing arpeggios of the beginning interacting in different ways between the four guitar parts, with melodic fragments introducing further colour to the landscape. From the first discussions around this commisison with Quartet Malamatina, I was convinced that I wanted to write an unfolding single-movement piece, and the stimulating situation of four of the same instrument encouraged me to inhabit a mode of composition centred around repetition and variation, so as to highlight the similarities and contrasts in tone of the instruments, as well as creating a time-scale that draws the listener on a continuous journey.

 

I am very grateful to Quartet Malamatina for commissioning this piece, and for their collaboration throughout the process of developing material. I am also grateful to Creative Scotland for their support of this commission. The first performance of this work was in Glasgow in 2023, with subsequent performances throughout the UK and Canada from Quartet Malamatina.

 

Duration: 10 minutes