Unequal Distemperament

Cello Concerto

Paul Dresher

Year

2001


Duration

22'


Instrumentation

violoncello solo - violin, bassoon, electronic percussion (2), electronic keyboard, electric guitar


Genre

Chamber Music


Premiere

Joan Jeanrenaud, violoncello / Paul Dresher Ensemble


Source

composer website; Dresher Ensemble website;


Details

"The work is in a single continuous movement. In addition to exploring Joan's virtuosity and the typical challenges of the concerto form, much of the material in the work explores different tuning systems (also called temperaments). The temperaments used in the piece involve both a systematic organization of tuning based on the harmonic series and highly subjective non-systematic tunings based purely on the effect of the conflict between our expectations of "normal" diatonic temperament and the more adventurous tunings used in the piece. This conflict yielded the title of the work: Unequal Distemperament."

- Paul Dresher (from: Dresher Ensemble website)