Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Miloš Milivojević - Accordion
Mark Thomas - Director of Photography
Rob Kelledy - Sound recording and Mastering
Tim Williams - Editor and Producer
Psappha is grateful for the support its ‘Composing for…’ programme receives from: Arts Council England; Britford Bridge Trust; PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner scheme; and the Thistle Trust.
Please support Psappha's work: psappha.com/support-us
------
"systole/diastole' (in a heartbeat) is inspired by the human cardiac cycle.
The structure of the work is intended as a magnification of a single heartbeat: approximately the first two-fifths of the piece correspond to a contraction (‘systole’) and the remaining three-fifths correspond to an expansion (‘diastole’).
The idea of contraction and expansion affects many of the musical elements, like the pulse, the tempo, the harmony, the timbre, the volume and the range that the instrument occupies.
The tempo, for example, starts at 66 bpm, builds up to 92, and then, during the ‘diastole’ gradually decelerates to 54 bpm. The range of the tempo is approximately the same as that of the pulse of a healthy human heart rate (between 60 and 100 bpm).
Similarly, the work starts off with close harmonies which get condensed to chromatic clusters at the end of the ‘systole’ section. The ‘diastole’ section, in contrast, is dominated by continuously expanding harmonies. This is facilitated thanks to the fact that the freebass accordion allows chords that span over almost three octaves to be played by each hand separately.
The bellows themselves resemble a heart muscle, constantly moving or closing, quickly during the systole section, and very slowly during the diastole section.
My warm thanks to Miloš for the generous collaboration and the informative sessions throughout the development of the work.
Learn more about Athanasia: athanasiakontou.com
LEARN MORE AND FOLLOW PSAPPHA
Website: psappha.com
Subscribe to Psappha's Enewsletter: buff.ly/31HjEHV
Twitter: twitter.com/PsapphaEnsemble
Facebook: facebook.com/psappha.ensemble
Instagram: instagram.com/psapphaensemble
Miloš Milivojević - Accordion
Mark Thomas - Director of Photography
Rob Kelledy - Sound recording and Mastering
Tim Williams - Editor and Producer
Psappha is grateful for the support its ‘Composing for…’ programme receives from: Arts Council England; Britford Bridge Trust; PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner scheme; and the Thistle Trust.
Please support Psappha's work: psappha.com/support-us
------
"systole/diastole' (in a heartbeat) is inspired by the human cardiac cycle.
The structure of the work is intended as a magnification of a single heartbeat: approximately the first two-fifths of the piece correspond to a contraction (‘systole’) and the remaining three-fifths correspond to an expansion (‘diastole’).
The idea of contraction and expansion affects many of the musical elements, like the pulse, the tempo, the harmony, the timbre, the volume and the range that the instrument occupies.
The tempo, for example, starts at 66 bpm, builds up to 92, and then, during the ‘diastole’ gradually decelerates to 54 bpm. The range of the tempo is approximately the same as that of the pulse of a healthy human heart rate (between 60 and 100 bpm).
Similarly, the work starts off with close harmonies which get condensed to chromatic clusters at the end of the ‘systole’ section. The ‘diastole’ section, in contrast, is dominated by continuously expanding harmonies. This is facilitated thanks to the fact that the freebass accordion allows chords that span over almost three octaves to be played by each hand separately.
The bellows themselves resemble a heart muscle, constantly moving or closing, quickly during the systole section, and very slowly during the diastole section.
My warm thanks to Miloš for the generous collaboration and the informative sessions throughout the development of the work.
Learn more about Athanasia: athanasiakontou.com
LEARN MORE AND FOLLOW PSAPPHA
Website: psappha.com
Subscribe to Psappha's Enewsletter: buff.ly/31HjEHV
Twitter: twitter.com/PsapphaEnsemble
Facebook: facebook.com/psappha.ensemble
Instagram: instagram.com/psapphaensemble
