Psychodrama for String Quartet

“Psychodrama - 5 movements for String Quartet” takes its name from a genre of cartoons originally popularized by John K. the creator of “Ren and Stimpy.” “Psychodrama” borrows the abrupt shifts from normalcy to neurotic hysterics, which is commonly found in most of these cartoons. This work features some unconventional techniques. The first movement “Harpy” uses “guitar-like” double stops to achieve lush chordal arpeggios, and every pitch in the second movement is either left or approached by glissandi. Some movements also quote other media and styles such as the 3rd movements theme being inspired by the piece “The Hunt” from the original “Planet of the Apes” soundtrack, and the formal structure of the last movement being almost identical to the form of Liszt's famous “Hungarian Rhapsody No.2”. The final movement brings the piece to a close with a dramatic and extensive summation of the material presented in the first movement.