Threadsuns

The title of Threadsuns is taken from Paul Celan’s short poem Fadensonnen (in English Threadsuns). Through the wistfully mournful but somewhat enigmatic writing of Celan, I hear imaginary music in D flat major, a very special key to my ear which reminds me of the timbre of the viola and evokes perhaps the most complex emotions - sad but not crying, mournful but not howling, in despair but not without hope. In this concerto I wanted to express these threads of emotions and write complex contrapuntal and lyrical music as the title Threadsuns implies.

The piece has a harmonic and melodic cell which is built on the relationship between two major triads of totally different characters, D flat and A. With the harmonic material, the score travels across the borders of tonality, atonality and modality.

Threadsuns is structured in a Sonata-Allegro form and consists of two movements continuing without a gap. The first movement forms the exposition, and the second movement development and recapitulation.
In the first movement, after a long melodic introduction of solo viola, the orchestra and the soloist begin a rather shy contrapuntal conversation. The music slowly expands to a brief but violent and dissonant tutti section, which is a variation of the solo introduction in the beginning, and the aria-like first theme in D flat major which follows. The solo viola and the orchestra continue their contrapuntal conversation in tonal and atonal context, and the atmosphere of music suddenly changes when the second theme comes in. The viola and the orchestra now dance a graceful but sarcastic Waltz.
Like the violent and furious orchestral tutti at the beginning, the second movement is a variation of the melodic introduction in the first movement. In the development section, the musical materials presented in the previous movement are re-written in twisted and altered ways. After a long journey, in the recapitulation, the first theme comes back finally but in A major which evokes totally different emotions - much more open and passionate than the original key, D flat. The solo viola and orchestra sing passionately in unison and reach the climax of the piece. However, eventually, as if lamenting for someone’s death, the music gradually dies out.

This piece is dedicated to my dear friend Amihai Grosz, the principal violist at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and written in memory of the late Peter Eötvös.

Donghoon Shin (2024)

Reproduction Rights
This programme note can be reproduced free of charge in concert programmes with a credit to the composer