Ragnhild Berstad: Respicio

Performed at the Ultima Festival, 3rd October 2007.

Video recording of the premiere of the new version with electronics at the Ultima Festival, 3rd October 2007 in Oslo.

Ragnhild Berstad: Respicio version I for quartertonemarimba solo, premiered at the Norwegian Academy of Music 15 of December 2003. Kjell Tore Innervik's Soloist Diploma exam.

blogg of the process

sample of the score:
part one
middle section
end section

RESPICIO

"I take material from a former work, Respiro for solo clarinet and tape, and elaborate this further through the quartertone instruments. The melodic material in Respiro creates its own sonic space. With quartertone marimba and quartertone vibraphone I am enlarging this sonic space to include rapid passages as well as slow melodic lines and pulsating tremolos. The clear instrumental limitations I normally meet in dealing with quartertones are replaced by a freedom. A freedom to explore a new harmonic landscape based on 24 equal notes within one octave.
The Latin title, Respicio, has several different possible meanings. Two of them give an outstanding covering of the origin of this work 'looking back' and 'discover'."

Other pieces made by Ragnhild Berstad using the quartertone Instruments:

Con Vitri
Respicio
Quaero
Recludo
Berstad