The Unknowable - Dominik Karski International Festival of Contemporary Music Warsaw Autumn

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is the third work in a series, the previous two being The Unsearchable and The Unquenchable. The instrumental resources vary between the pieces, but they do share a common quality, in that each work explores a di cult concept and a heightened emotional state associated with it, conveyed through expressivity that is pushed to a high intensity. In The Unknowable, the low strings’ utterances range from harshly dark to sharply bright, while the piercing crotales interweave with rich and dense piano; all this is enveloped by the resonance of tam-tams (struck by the string players and the pianist), and the uneven “heartbeat” of the percussionist’s bass drum. This multi-layered texture unlocks a space that is meant to be both darkest and brightest, most terrifying and most beautiful at the same time. Place yourself in the solitude of the night sky, a lonely stargazer, and see a million of unknowable truths staring back at you. 

Dominik Karski