Faculty of Law - chamber string orchestra, percussion

FACULTY OF LAW

Lucian Moraru, string quartet &percussion

SonArt Edition 2019

by Helen Tuckey

Romanian violist and arranger Lucian Moraru studied in Bucharest, then the Netherlands and Great Britain. He has an extremely diverse musical skill set, working as a violist in orchestras, chamber groups and as a soloist and as a studio producer, as well as substantial experience as an arranger for a diversity of musical instruments and genres.

Faculty of Law is his own 7-minute single movement work for string quartet and percussion. It was composed in 2019 for the 160th anniversary of the founding of the law school in Bucharest.

The work opens with great urgency and energy, underpinned by appealing sophisticated jazzy rhythms. In true legalese manner, the instruments then become almost verbal and rhetorical at times, with menacing relentless percussion continuing the forward drive. The texture thins and the music gradually melts into harmonics with various pianissimo percussive ostinato patterns in the viola. A section in B minor marked Moderato amabile follows in completely contrasting style in a folky, renaissance 6/8 time, with tambourine and tom tom, after which a virtuosic Allegro section crashes in, with much tension and great use of a variety of string and percussion textures. This is interrupted by a brief excursion into the traditional student drinking song Gaudeamus Igitur, quoted more at length by Brahms in an eerily parallel work, the Academic Festival Overture. The final Coda mirrors the opening, ending with impressive wit and energy.

This is a truly wonderful virtuosic concert piece. Do watch the online performance, where the arranger is also the violist in the quartet.

Website: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzUtbh0T0OY

Stringendo (Australian Strings Association’s magazine) - October, 2022

EN

This is a fascinating work for chamber string orchestra and percussion. The song was commissioned to be performed at the event that celebrated in 2019, 160 years since the founding of the Faculty of Law in Bucharest (Romania). Musical themes and accompaniment combine both classical and jazz genres. It is a 7-minute work composed in a single movement that contains lively contrasting sections, energetic, with interesting rhythms, with some mysterious passages in the flageolet and of course with a small insert from Gaudeamus igitur. The piece exploits all four instruments in equal conditions through which the instrumentalists can fully show their technical skills, being a pleasure for the members of the string quartets who like to show their virtuosity. This score is a smart choice for chamber string orchstras that want to achieve the acclaim from the audience.

RO

Aceasta este o lucrare fascinantă pentru orchestră de cameră și percuție. Piesa a fost comandată pentru a fi interpretată la evenimentul care a celebrat  în anul 2019, 160 de ani de la înființarea Facultății de Drept din București (România). Temele muzicale și acompaniamentul combină deopotrivă genurile de muzică clasică și jazz.  Este o lucrare de 7 minute compusă intr-o singură mișcare care conține secțiuni contrastante vioi, energice, cu ritmuri interesante, cu câteva pasaje misterioase în flageolet și, bineînțeles cu un mic insert din Gaudeamus igitur. Piesa exploatează toate cele patru instrumente în condiții egale prin care instrumentiștii își pot arăta din plin abilitățile tehnice, fiind o plăcere pentru membrii orchestrelor de cameră cărora le place să-și arate virtuozitatea. Această partitură este  alegerea inteligentă pentru orchestrele de cameră care își doresc să aibă succes la public.

YouTube DEMO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzUtbh0T0OY