Long Gradus is the new project from canadian composer Sarah Davachi — a new longform commissioned work for any ensemble of four similar instruments. The definitive string quartet version of Long Gradus is available as a 2LP and CD, and the collection of all four arrangements (strings, woodwinds, brass & organ, choir & electronics) is presented as the Long Gradus: Arrangements 4CD set.
Long Gradus began in 2020 when Sarah Davachi was selected to participate in Quatuor Bozzini’s Composer’s Kitchen residency, which was to be a joint production with Gaudeamus Muziekweek in the Netherlands. A ‘gradus’ is a sort of handbook meant to aid in learning a difficult practice; in this case, Long Gradus is designed to considerably slow the cognitive movements of both listener and player, and to focus their attention on the relationships between moments. A rich harmonic landscape that is constantly shifting and which changes with each engagement is the listener’s return. For the player, Long Gradus is an invitation to practice active listening and to immerse oneself in the stillness of psychoacoustic space and time.