Carl Vine

Smith's Alchemy (arrangement of String Quartet No. 3)

Carl Vine's third string quartet was commissioned by the Smith Quartet (London) and first performed by them in the 1994 Brighton Festival. In 2000 the Goldner String Quartet played the work at the opening of the Angel Place Rectial Hall in Sydney. This performance caught the ear of Richard Tognetti, Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and he asked the composer whether it could be arranged for them. The intention of the original work was to transform four stringed instruments into a single 'super' instrument while capitalising on their natural sound qualities. A kind of aural alchemy. Although the very structure of the original work was predicated on the techniques used to create certain effects, this remains much the same in the new version for string orchestra, and some parts required little amendment. The potential to 'share' difficult techniques across more than one instrument has in many ways liberated the music, allowing greater emphasis on on its lyric qualities.