Goldgräber, Vein from Goldgräber, and Filigree on Goldgräber for solo violin (2003).
While Goldgräber does not employ any sort of extra-musical visual element, it is nevertheless a pictorial work in the sense that its structure represents a musical collage or, as it is traditionally classified, a form based on the principle of variation. The concept is similar to that of a painter experimenting with colors and effects by “borrowing” a given subject and juxtaposing it with backgrounds that are foreign to the essence of the original material. In this case the “material,” or theme, is represented by the first twelve measures of the Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra by E. W. Korngold. This theme is never stated in my work, although it serves as Goldgräber’s inspiration; thus I have “grabbed” from the wealth of Korngold and therefore am a Korngold-grabber.
I believe that a visual understanding of the musical structure of Goldgräber is essential to the listener’s comprehension of the work as a whole. The work is a set of variations where the “theme” is never actually stated, although the overall form can also be understood as an arch where the “keystone” or symmetrical axis occurs in the most romantically inclined variation, (and therefore that variation which I think most closely resembles Korngold’s style),No. 5. There are a total of nine variations, each preceded by an interlude; and this complete set being preceded and succeeded by an introduction and finale. The interludes work on an arch principle that is separate to themselves; a harmonic “wedge” that proceeds inward towards the keystone variation (5), and then another wedge that expands outward towards the finale.
This piece was written for and premiered by Timothy Lees, Concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. It is also winner of the Hvar Strings Festival Composition Competition (Croatia).
Duration and performance options
Goldgräber takes about 20 minutes to perform. Optional cuts are notated in the score for two shorter versions: Vein from Goldgräber (11-13 minutes; an exciting show of virtuosity in the “moto perpetuo” tradition); and Filigree on Goldgräber (4-6 minutes; the opening few measures plus the last two variations and finale). Tempos must be adjusted with regard to which version is performed. For example, the first few pages of Vein should push ahead with a breathless quality to reflect the incessant drive of the piece.
