Der Berg (The Mountain), composed in 2023, is a string quartet dedicated to the Quartetto di Torino. In this work, Andrea Ravizza undertakes a sonic journey through three distinct movements, each evoking atmospheres and sensations related to the experience of the mountain, filtered through his personal aesthetic research.

As in other works, the composer seeks a balance between instinct and rules, where calculated systems and aesthetic sensitivity converge. This approach results in a contemporary musical language that expresses the need to explore “the unknown and the unexplored”.

I. Waldweg (Forest Path)

The first movement, Waldweg, evokes the misty atmosphere of an ascending forest path. Here, Ravizza employs sonorities that recall the “foggy and indeterminate textures” found in the music of George Benjamin. The search for new sounds unfolds through bands of sound that compress and expand, creating a sense of uncertain and mysterious progression. The use of glissandi contributes to this impression of continuous and ambiguous motion, exploring intermediate frequencies and suggesting the presence of a “moving band” of sound. Dynamics fluctuate between delicate, barely perceptible passages and more clearly defined moments.

II. Irrgarten (Labyrinth)

Irrgarten ventures into the intricate paths of a high-altitude labyrinth, which ultimately reveals itself as a form of escape. This movement features a complex interaction of melodic lines and structural processes. The idea of the labyrinth recalls Ligeti’s “canonic procedures with an increased level of complexity”, with staggered attacks generating a sound that is subtly different, evolving, and constantly shifting in color. Collections of pitches that cannot be traced back to any known chord outline a disorienting sonic landscape, emphasizing the character of “flight” through an energy in continuous transformation or acceleration, while maintaining an underlying harmonic coherence.

III. Abstieg (Descent)

The final movement, Abstieg, conveys the sensation of a rapid descent—like an avalanche returning home after a climb. Here, the music regains a more emphatic and almost violent energy. The rhythm tightens, shaping a final crescendo. Accentuated rhythmic elements, reiterated and accelerated, dominate the texture, culminating in a recapitulation and a return to the force of the opening.