String Quartet no. 1

DURATION 20 minutes

ORCHESTRATION 2vn, vla, vlc

PUBLISHER G. Schirmer, Inc.

“I have always regarded the string quartet as one of the highest and most pure mediums. As I approached composing my first string quartet, I looked for an equivalent to its perfection and considered the great beauty and expression that a true friendship can embody. What came to my mind was a friendship that I shared with three other people. At the end of the year 2000, one of those friends passed away in a motorcycle accident. The piece progresses from the exuberant motorcycle ride, through the accident and into the pain, anger, and frustration that followed the death. It ends with a memory of an experience shared by the four friends." — Avner Dorman