The German word Hauch has no exact translation in English. It is a trace, touch, hint, tinge, soupçon, tang, wisp, or a breath of something. It implies a suggestion or intimation of the thing: a shadow, an aura, a glimmer hidden beneath the surface. 

Hauch is a solo study exploring pianissimo timbral nuances at the top of the lowest violin strings; tracing fragments of melody, drawn on a thread in and out of silence.

Surface, weight and touch of musical performance: the bow drawing the sound out of silence; the slightest differentiation of touch on the string; the expansion of the muscles between the shoulder blades; the player’s in-breath preceding the played tone... The fallible physical body behind the sound: feeling the weight of sound, exploring the essence of a timbre. 

Rebecca Saunders