Kastalia
op. 35b, 2008
I. Sinking
II. The Sayings
III. Farewell
Version for string quartet uand percussion
Duration: 13 min.
World premiere: 15 December 2008, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, Spain. Plural Ensemble, conductor: Wolfgang Lischke
Composer’s notes
Kastalia is the Nymph of the Delphi source and daughter of the God of rivers Acheloos. The oracle priest Pythia went every time from the temple of Apollon to this source to get the inspiration for her prophecies. Kastalia is my source for this composition for harp and string quartet.
The first movement features a rhythmic ostinato by the strings, while the solo instrument plays a quasi-archaic melody. It is followed by a dialogue between strings and solo instrument. The third movement is a synthesis of the first and second movement in the form of a concentrated miniature.
The original version of Kastalia was commissioned by Harry Otten for harp and string quartet. Later I extended the piece with two additional movements for solo harp between the existing tutti parts. Also, I worked on this version for saz and string quartet together with saz player Michalis Cholevas (op. 35c) and eventually recorded it for NEOS.