Der brennende Dornbusch for Violin Solo

Der brennende Dornbusch is inspired by a religious image, approached not as a literal narrative but as a source of structural and sonic imagination. Rather than depicting a specific event, the work traces an inner trajectory shaped by tension, hesitation, and gradual transformation. Symbolic elements drawn from the underlying imagery provide a structural framework, which is projected onto and transformed through a process informed by fugal principles. Instead of reproducing a traditional fugue, the piece adopts fugal thinking as a method of organizing recurrence, variation, and temporal spacing within a single continuous flow. The pitch material originates from the inflectional contour of a spoken phrase. Abstracted from linguistic meaning, this phonetic contour is treated as purely sonic material and reconfigured into pitch relationships and gestural shapes throughout the work. Fragile harmonics, controlled bow pressure, microtonal double-stops with beating effects, glissandi, and continuous pitch variation expand the violin’s sound world into a layered texture that suggests polyphonic density. Resonance, silence, and temporal suspension function as active 0structural elements, creating an atmosphere of tension and mystery in which intensity emerges through control rather than force.

Premiere: Nov.29.2025

Violin: Ye Gyeong Lim