JAVS Summer 2021

extended range in both directions, and more timbral possibilities. Though we could not name it at the time, the Ur-human concept was exactly what we envisioned when we became andPlay. In officially founding andPlay later that year, our main goal was to commission new works to expand the repertoire for this instrumentation. Eight years later, andPlay has commissioned over forty new works for violin/viola, or violin/viola/electronics, developing a repertoire that presents the violin/viola duo in the way we always imagined. A non profit 501(c)3 organization as of 2017, andPlay performs for audiences across the United States and globe, and our commitment to contemporary music motivates our education and audience engagement activities. Propelling our mission is a commissioning philosophy we describe as “more than.” We work with composers to create works that sound like “more than” a violin and viola, collaborating with those who push us technically and musically to create unexpected aural experiences. The remainder of this article will discuss three principles that contribute to this philosophy, referencing works from our repertoire that embody our vision and have set the precedent for what we believe this instrumentation deserves.

1. More than the sum of its parts

This concept was briefly introduced above—we look for composers who will approach writing for andPlay in an unexpected way, obscuring all preconceived notions of the instrumentation. This often means that an audience member walks away thinking “I never knew that a violin and viola could sound like that!” While this is sometimes done through the use of electronics, alternate tuning systems, or theatrical elements, it can be equally achieved in more conventional scores. A prime example of a work like this is Ashkan Behzadi’s (b. 1983) Crescita Plastica , which andPlay premiered in 2015. At first glance, the score seemed to stretch the extremes of our technical abilities, with unbelievably quick transitions between ranges, playing techniques (col legno, arco, harmonics), and intricate microtonal melismatic passages. Yet, after working with Behzadi, it became clear that this work was not meant to be solely a virtuosic exercise. The lyricism of this piece, which merges material reminiscent of folk music with contemporary microtonal language, is not confined to one part, but is dependent on the cohesive aural experience of the ensemble. Instead of viewing the violin and viola as separate voices, Behzadi’s score creates three or more collaborative, intertwined

Example 1. Ashkan Behzadi, Crescita Plastica, mm. 1–4. Notice the overlapping gestures and rapid exchange of similar figures between the instruments. Click the icon to the right for an audio recording (from andPlay’s album playlist , New Focus Recordings 2019).

Journal of the American Viola Society / Vol. 37, 2021 Online Issue

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