Kaija Saariaho: Nymphea: String Quartet

The composer has developed musical processes through the use of computer programming methods and this approach has allowed a broadening of vocabulary of the colour or tone of string instruments and the contrast of limpid, delicate textures with violent, shattering masses of sound. The basis for the entire harmonic structure of the piece is provided by complex cello sounds and the rhythmic and melodic transformational platforms are computer-calculated in which musical motifs gradually convert, recurring again and again. Score and Electronics booklet for Nymphea arranged for String Quartet and Live Electronics. Composed 1987, duration 18 minutes.