String Quartet No. 2 "Serioso"
We know some of Beethoven's reasons for feeling disappointed, frustrated and angry — which undoubtedly influenced his opus 95 "Serioso" quartet. My own feelings in 2012-2017 were colored by a variety of things, from two aggressive neighbors to millions of colossally stupid voters. Above all there was, and is, the fact that homo sapiens is destroying other species at a rate unmatched by anything in the last 65 million years.
My first movement is built with small melodic bits — what composers call "horizontal" bits — from Beethoven's first and second movements.
My second movement is built with chords — what composers call "verticals" — from Beethoven's second and third movements.
My third movement is built with tiny shards from Beethoven's third and fourth movements, and is in Beethoven's favorite form: variations.
My middle movement attempts to place events into the form of a calm, poised Greek frieze. But there's no denying that this quartet is serious.