The cubists – from images to music

When I first came across cubism, the seeds for a series of compositions were sown. Like everything in life, things take time to grow and mature. Initially it started with a string quartet composition called “Picasso”. Then over a period of time, the works grew into larger pieces for string orchestra.

My vision for these pieces is a musical interpretation of the paintings created by the great cubists, Picasso, Gleizes, Braque and Metzinger.

Looking at the image above, its clear the human face has been distorted. Features are shaped into cubes and arranged visually such that the viewer interprets the image as a human face, yet at first glance, it isn’t. Thus the averaging effect of interpretation can be exploited in musical terms in exactly the same way….dissect a section of ostinato, break the usual structure and then bolt it together with bits of sellotape.

What does this sound like? Thanks to the Modulus Quartet…first Picasso

Now Braque