Frustrated Tolerance

Frustrated Tolerance for percussion, oboe, violin, viola and violoncello was inspired by the drawing of the same name by Slovak artist Albin Brunovský. Rather than illustrating visual details, the work translates the disturbed, tense and symbolically charged atmosphere of the artwork into an independent musical structure.

The musical material grows from a two-note cell — A and B — referring to the initials of Albin Brunovský. From this reduced starting point, a lyrical sound world gradually unfolds, shaped by the tension of the augmented fourth as a central intervallic element. In several passages, distant echoes of Slovak musical language emerge without ever becoming direct quotation.

The composition consists of four short attacca movements: Tense Roots, Trance of Bells, Broken Scherzo and Mechanism of Frustration.

The percussion part forms the backbone of the work. Through the continuous interplay of small drums, marimba, tam-tam, ratchet, flexatone and tubular bells, it creates an atmosphere of constant instability and transformation, while oboe and strings unfold between fragile lines, eruptive gestures and dense textures.

Selected for the 2026 Moliner International Percussion Composition Award (MIPCA).

Duration: approx. 13 minutes.

Instrumentation

Oboe – Violin – Viola – Violoncello – Percussion

Year

2025

Premiere

11 March 2026 — Mozartsaal Stuttgart