Kaija Saariaho Gestural Expansion[1]

Kaija Saariaho: Près Movement I

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Section 1 (Bars 1- 24) “Misterioso, poco fiero” (Sort of Introduction, settling the polarity of Eb, searching and establishing the Eb tone) Gestures: Trill Eb, (prominent notes, Eb, G, A) Dynamics: pp, mp area

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Section 2 (Bars 24- 46) “Poco più mosso sempre espressivo” (Kind of Development section. Gestures: “mini waves” expressed as rising arpeggios, first use of the long “gliss” gesture and the noise gesture in Poco agitato. (prominent notes, harmonic area: Bb, Eb, D)

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Section 3 (Bars 46-58) More prominent noise gestures Harmonic area: (G#, D, E, C#, F#) Heightened levels of activity.

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Section 4 (59-69) Dolce, dolente Harmonic area: (F#, D, E)

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Section 5 (69-81) Dolce, calmato Harmonic area: (D, F, Eb)

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Section 6 (82- 88) Poco agitato,

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Section 7 (89-119) Poco meno mosso, ma intenso (sort of bridge towards coda) Harmonic area: (C, G#, D)

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Coda, finale (130-159) con violenza (3 times the same big gilss gesture towards E, comprising 6 bars each with 1 bar of silence and, at the end, the biggest one that is 9 bars long) Harmonic area: (C, G#, D, B, E) Dynamics: mp to ffff. Final note: E natural.

Gestural Expansion The terms expresses the process in which, I think, the whole construction of the piece is devised. The music of this piece is strongly based on musical gestures and articulations by the cello. The cello underlines the whole musical motion and generates all the elements of the development of the music. Al of this gestures and elements are introduced, after the first stable area, in the earlier stages of the process and then are expanded by many different ways, in an area of the piece that present heightened levels of activity. For instance this expansion or ‘development’ of the gestures is showed by exploring larger or different pitch ranges, or employing longer scalar or arpeggio gestures, or by having more trill activity, ore using longer and more intense “noise” color. Rhythm is also expanded by presenting more elaborated or complex versions of the same rhythmic idea, and finally this whole array of gestures concur in a sort of integration that synthesize all those elements (except the trill) and release them into to a different area of stability, employing the largest gesture of the movement, the final glissandi the arrive at a high E natural.

Joseaugusto Mejía