Program notes:
almostdances is a set of virtuosic etudes for string quartet in three continuous movements. Each brims with rhythm and motion, but they are askew— crooked, twisted, like a lopsided dance. Although each instrument’s part is quite individually virtuosic, for me these almostdances are studies in collective virtuosity: they musically foreground the attunement of performers to one another, and use a challenging musical language which requires a heightened level of artistic teamwork. The first is a furiously hocketed dance which begins to stutter on top of itself; the second is a chaotic textural swirl which dissolves into white light; and the third foregrounds the cellist in an expressive, shifting landscape. Full of light, color, and motion, these three miniatures are like tiny portals into another world.
Paul Novak's almostdances for string quartet premiered on April 9, 2022 with Quatuor Diotima.