Patina was originally written for violinist Jane Peters, premiered in a concert along Bach’s famous Chaconne. I felt like writing a piece that would evoke the past repertoire played on the violin (now a cello solo as well), how much this instrument has seen/heard and how it has left a mark on its DNA-much like patina on the wood of the instrument. I wanted the beginning to sound like a memory of the past coming back in very tentative fragmented Pizzicato chord sequences, growing into a more pronounced melodic material, like seeing into the future/present. There are glimpses of ragtime and other contrasting materials, there is something kaleidoscopic about this piece.
This version for cello has been created for Molly Kadarauch.
Elena Kats-Chernin
