Instrumentation

2vln, va, vc

Duration

14 minutes

Programme Note

I. Slip Orbit
II. Turn a Phrase
III. False Resolve
IV. Whorl
V. Hold Still

Spinfall is a five-movement work for string quartet that draws inspiration from the five Lagrange points—positions in space where the gravitational forces and orbital motion of two circling bodies come into temporary balance. Some of these points are stable: even with small disturbances, objects can fall back into subtle equilibrium. Others are volatile, where the slightest shift can send objects spiralling off course. The piece traces these same mechanics in sound. Musical materials loop and circle back on themselves, sometimes locking into orbit, sometimes breaking free. The quartet divides and re-forms: pairs of instruments jostle, counter, and correct each other’s course. Some moments are still, suspended, with only the slightest slippage beneath the surface. Others collide, tilt off-kilter, and unravel outward beyond their own pull.

© Ryan Latimer, 2025

Commissioned by Solem Quartet with support from the PRS Foundation Open Fund for Music Creators. Premiered at Elgar Concert Hall, Birmingham, 31 October 2025.