Skylla and Charybdis (Waterhouse)
Skylla and Charybdis is a 2014 composition for piano quartet by Graham Waterhouse, played in four movements without a break. The title refers to Scylla and Charybdis, two sea monsters from Greek mythology. In performances in German-speaking countries, it has appeared as Zwischen Skylla and Charybdis,[1] and in English surroundings also as Between Skylla and Charybdis.[2]
According to the composer, the opening movement relates to the currents in the narrow straight of the sea. The second section pictures "threatening and aggressive characters". The third movement is based on overlapping melodies, mirroring each other as in tribal chant. The fourth section depicts a battle, musically, between the piano and the strings.[3]
The work was premiered at the Gasteig in Munich on 2 November 2014, by pianist Katharina Sellheim, violinist David Frühwirth, violist Konstantin Sellheim and the composer as the cellist.[1][4] It was used for the title of a concert at the same location on 11 March 2018, played by the same performers.[5] It was played in England in 2020, again providing the concert title, in 2020, combined with quartets by Beethoven and Dvořák, at the composer's former school, Highgate School.[2]
References
- "Klavierquartette – Kammermusik von Mozart, Beethoven und Waterhouse" (in German). Gasteig. 2 November 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- "Between Skylla and Charybdis - The Munich Piano Quartet". ticketsource.co.uk. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
- "Scylla and Charybdis". Graham Waterhouse. 2020. Retrieved 30 Apr 2020.
- "Klavierquartette / Kammermusik von Mozart, Beethoven und Waterhouse". muenchenticket.de (in German). 2 November 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
- "Zwischen Skylla und Charybdis". Gasteig. 11 March 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
External links
- "Zwischen Scylla und Charybdis" / Kammermusik von und mit Graham Waterhouse (in German) Celle Heute 1 November 2017