National Gallery
Live Performance · 2025
Live Performance · 2025
Composer
Kristian Willis
Instrumentation
String Quartet
Premiere Venue
National Gallery, London
Inspired by Salvator Rosa's Witches at their Incantations, this string quartet explores the dark and unsettling atmosphere of the painting through chromatic harmony, extended string techniques and dissonant textures. Glissandi, clusters and snap pizzicato create a sense of unease and chaos, leading into a final section of fast-moving rhythms before resolving into quieter, unsettling textures.
The piece was written for a performance at the National Gallery in London on 28 February 2025.