Torque

 "Torque" is about the process of gear shifting, acceleration and deceleration and the momentum that is generated by this power.


The work is made up of a mixture of musical styles or gears, all of which share an edginess and drive which at times borders on the motoric. Having just lost my car due to a damaged gearbox I had become interested in how much we need a car and its engine in life.


I wanted to write a piece that gave a powerful sense of musical momentum. I used angular rhythms (often borrowed from Tango) and wild gestures to give the impression of a human musical machine, whose pistons are made of fingers and bow arms, that would drive this piece until the rivets began to pop and the rubber started to burn.


Fittingly the day I finished the work, a new white car arrived on my doorstep.


Elena Kats-Chernin


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