Gossamer, the fine cobweb used for kiting that floats in the air during late summer and fall, is a symbol for the utmost endurance and infinite fragility. While the toughness of its material exceeds Kevlar, its weightless and protracted descent is the embodiment of slow-motion. It is symbolic for a time experience where extreme calm lengths and short bursts of accumulated energy alternate. Ajtony Csaba’s piece entitled Gossamer II is an octet comprised of two simultaneously played quartets, dedicated to Tsilumos Ensemble and Quasar Saxophone Quartet. The piece is playable as two separate quartets and as an octet likewise. The project supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Gossamer II is premiered by the Tsilumos Ensemble and Quasar Saxophone Quartet at the SALT New Music Festival and Symposium. SALT Festival, co-directed by Ajtony Csaba, attracts world-renowned Canadian and international composers and performers to the west coast of British Columbia.
The Festival’s host ensemble, Tsilumos Ensemble (Victoria, BC) collaborates with the internationally acclaimed Quasar Saxophone Quartet Montreal, Kirk McNally (Victoria, BC) and groundbreaking young Canadian new music performers Liam Hockley, Stephanie Bell (Duo 1010) and Kristen Cooke (Vancouver, BC). Besides Csaba’s work, new works by Canadian and international composers Kimia Koochakzadeh Yazdi (Vancouver, BC), Annesley Black (Ottawa, ON), Sabrina Schroeder (Vancouver, BC), Gregory Vajda (Portland, OR), Max Murray (Victoria BC/ Boston MA), Rebecca Bruton (Banff, AB), Émilie Girard-Charest (Montréal, QC), Jim O’Leary (Windsor, NF), Ofer Pelz (Montréal, QC), and others are presented in the program.
