For String Quartet
Commissioned by the Delgani Quartet
A sonic exploration of the challenges, triumphs, and occasional failures that come with life.
Glitch is a work for string quartet that explores the never-ending human need for troubleshooting in real life. Written for the Delgani Quartet, the piece is an interplay between humans and machines. The goal of the work is to create a sense of unease and tension. The music is constantly interrupted by nuances and effects, making it feel like one is struggling to maintain control. Ultimately, Glitch provides a unique and unsettling listening experience highlighting the imperfections of humans and machines alike.
Reviews
The title listing gives away Assad’s versatility as a composer-performer but it doesn’t follow that her writing talents extend beyond her own genres. In fact Glitch sounds like a real quartet, and not a promising idea in a foreign context. The premise is simple: glissandos and ostinato patterns embody a faulty piece of code, which (like in DNA, not computers) can become the next stage of evolutionary development. Better still, the piece ends at an instinctively right time while leaving the ear wanting more.
The Strad