For MOMO

String quartet

For MOMO takes as its starting point a reflection on the string quartet as a formation. Often compared to a small-scale democracy, the quartet raises questions about our behavior in society: how do we act within a group? Should we preserve our individuality, or suppress it for the sake of the collective? And even when surrounded by others, don’t we sometimes still feel alone?

Inspired by musical theatre and mime, the piece begins with gesture and leads into music. It aims to explore stage rituals (breathing, preparatory movements, etc.): each gesture, initially intended to be controlled, becomes a counterpoint of movement — a narrative that leads to a loss of control, a trance-like state, culminating in a final reminiscence of a work from the string quartet repertoire.

The piece is composed of three parts:

• The first highlights gestural language and non-verbal communication commonly found within a string quartet. These unwritten yet essential codes of conduct, fundamental to the quartet's cohesion, are rarely noted in the score but play a crucial role in ensemble playing.

• The second part shifts into a musical universe inspired by metal. It begins with a fast-paced, rhythmically driven passage with marked accents, mimicking the sounds of drums and electric bass, and echoing elements of progressive metal music.

• The third part is a meditation on the notion of disappearance, drawing on our collective memory. Ghosts from Mozart's past emerge in a curious, muted concert. Written as a tribute to the third movement of Mozart’s quartet “The Hunt” (No. 17, K. 458), this section evokes a radio caught between two frequencies — two eras.

The piece has been performed at Swiss Chamber Music Festival, Orpheus Competition 2024, L’Autre Saison Festival, Quatuor à Vendôme and Les Rencontres Musicales du Golfe.