Quartet Passacaglia (String Quartet No. 9)

This one-movement piece, consisting of an introduction, a theme and 10 variations, is a sort of musical narrative about a human life, like in La Passacaglia della vita, the famous 17th century Italian Passacaglia about life). The harmony of the piece is based on my own idea of so called complete chords (chords that include all the different intervals within them). The introduction opens with such a chord in the following position of the intervals 5-6-4-3-2-1 (in semitones). It is quite symbolic that the main theme begins with the notes: S-D (S for E-flat), the initials of my own name, and ends with F-E, the initials of the name of my wife, Elena Firsova. The 12-tone row that serves as a basis structure (or a skeleton) for the construction of the main theme of the composition is as follows. I am grateful to Prof. Alan E. Williams for the idea and organisation of the first performance of the quartet. The World Premiere of it took place on 27th of March 2017 at the Peel Hall, Salford University, Manchester, played by the Members of BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Kevin Flynn, Melody Prophet, violins, Amy Hark, viola, and Peggy Nolan, cello. Dmitri N. Smirnov