Andrew Staniland: Six Enigmas • Esprit Orchestra | Stephen Sitarski, Violin

Andrew Staniland (CA): Six Enigmas (2022)
Concerto for Violin & Orchestra
Stephen Sitarski | Violin
Esprit Orchestra | Alex Pauk, C.M., Conductor
World Premiere performance, recorded live November 27th, 2022 at Koerner Hall, Toronto.
Composer's Note:
This piece began with a candid interview with Stephen Sitarski. I had written music for him in various professional settings over the years, most notably with Art of Time Ensemble, but a concerto is personal. In our discussions, we discussed all kinds of things; what he likes to play, what he likes to listen to, his cautionary tales for composers from a life playing new music, and asking if there was anything he wanted featured (or avoided) in a new concerto. I found a lot of creative inspiration in his answers, which were as insightful as they were surprising.
One of my favourites was along the lines of “I want a piece that respects the violin and shows your voice”. That’s good advice.
The piece, Six Enigmas, runs in 6 uninterrupted movements. The enigmas refer to personally meaningful and (sorry for the repetition) enigmatic musical references which are anchored to my compositional voice, as well as to this collaboration in particular. They come in the form of references/quotes, compositional devices, and homage to great works of the past. These little mysteries are embedded throughout the work.
In reflecting on the finished score, I noticed a few curiosities. The work is unmistakably modern and challenging to play, but not really in the ways that new music is notorious for. There are almost no extended techniques: not even a single request to place the bow in a non-standard place (sul pont, sul tasto, bow on the tailpiece, bow the music stand, overpressure, etc), which may be a first for me, at least in a commission such as this. In the end, I hope I have written a piece that respects the violin, foregrounds my voice as a composer, and lets Stephen’s wonderful virtuosity shine. Thank you to Stephen Sitarski, Esprit Orchestra, Alex Pauk, and to the Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation for supporting this work. - Andrew Staniland, 2022

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Amazing performance!