Stephen Cabell: JĀNAMĀZ, for violin and cello – Moni Simeonov, violin & Rhonda Rider, cello

JĀNAMĀZ, for violin & cello (2008, rev. 2022) Composed by Stephen Cabell Performed by Moni Simeonov, violin & Rhonda Rider, cello (July 19, 2024) Altantic Music Festival; Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts, Performance Hall, Waterville, Maine JĀNAMĀZ is inspired by the Persian prayer mat, an object I have long associated with focus, ritual, and a carefully designed space for attention. What drew me first was its visual language: repeating geometry, borders, symmetry, and the way pattern can feel architectural, like a small room made of lines. In this piece, violin and cello function as two strands of the same fabric. Their lines trace and retrace one another in close counterpoint, creating filigrees of sound that behave like light across a textured surface, sometimes crisp and outlined, sometimes blurred into shadow. Resonances linger, overlap, and fade, so the space between gestures becomes as active as the gestures themselves. Rather than narrate a specific act, I wanted to offer a listening environment that is still, spacious, and attentive, where sound can interact with the room the way a visual form interacts with light, by revealing edges, depth, and quiet detail over time.