Caroline Shaw — Plan & Elevation (2015) [w/ score]

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, violinist, and singer Caroline Shaw’s “Plan & Elevation“ for string quartet. Shaw writes in the program notes: “I have always loved drawing the architecture around me when traveling, and some of my favorite lessons in musical composition have occurred by chance in my drawing practice over the years. While writing a string quartet to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Dumbarton Oaks, I returned to these essential ideas of space and proportion — to the challenges of trying to represent them on paper. The title, Plan & Elevation, refers to two standard ways of representing architecture — essentially an orthographic, or “bird’s eye,” perspective (“plan”), and a side view which features more ornamental detail (“elevation”). This binary is also a gentle metaphor for one’s path in any endeavor — often the actual journey and results are quite different (and perhaps more elevated) than the original plan.“ COMPOSER: Caroline Shaw STRING QUAR