# programme notes #

# reviews #

programme notes in CD booklet, col legno WWE 1CD 31876

The title Gnomic Variations refers to the terseness and compression of the work's construction. A gnome symbolizes the maxim or aphorism, the pithy statement that in a few words encompasses a large idea.

The theme and each of the 18 variations which follow establish their own highly individualistic and autonomous character. Although the variations proceed without interruption, the work is cast into three large sections which are clearly marked by silences. Both the internal structure of the theme, its AA'BA" form, and its melodic development and harmonic implications are subjected to the technique of variation.

The pianist plays a good deal of Gnomic Variations inside the piano. The strings are plucked, struck, strummed, scraped, and muted at various places. The piano, however, is not "prepared" (i.e., no objects are placed inside the piano in advance). The rapid shifting from keyboard to strings is, at times, fiendishly difficult.

The terse, aphoristic character of Gnomic Variations is defined at the outset: the composition begins with a brief unaccompanied melodic line of interlocking tritones. The low and middle register pitches are alternately muted and plucked, and the resulting sense of primal power prepares the listener for the outbursts of rhythmic energy which occur sporadically throughout the work. The first three propulsive and turbulent variations precede a mesmerizing passage (Variation 4) of cross-rhythms and undisturbed placidity. Variation 5 introduces the technique of scraping the metal wingdings of low register strings with the fingernails of the left hand. This quiet rasping sound is combined with upper register major seconds played pianissimo on the keys with the right hand. The resulting effect is at once haunting and entrancing. The final variation of the section uses a variety of muting techniques to produce an extended passage of vibrant intensity.

The second of Gnomic Variations' three sections contains a diversity of musical materials. The stern, repeated sonorities of Variation 7 (the first variation of this section) are followed by violent outbursts of percussive low register sounds and brilliant upper register runs. The next three variations, quiet and filled with atmospheric sonorities and effects, evoke a sense of wonder and awe, the suspension of time and implied motion. The third section opens with the ominously mysterious Variation 13 and builds in intensity through the next three variations to a profoundly moving climax in the penultimate variation of the work. Thunderous sounds from the lowest register of the piano (produced by striking the strings with the hands) support brilliant upper register chords: Gnomic Variations closes with a restatement of the opening theme, incorporating bell-like harmonics into the sonority. The brevity and forcefulness of its musical material make Gnomic Variations one of Crumb's most concentrated and powerful works.

Jeffrey Jacob