Tritone (D, G#) - Reflexions 18

Six notes descending from G#6 to D3 — the same D/G# tritone, the same slow tempo: Lent, p, legato, in three. But softer — p rather than mp — the quietest of the two Lent études. The phrase opens at G#6 and falls through D5, A#4, D4, G#3 to D3 in the dark gray of the low register. A violet accent at A#4 appears as a tension outside the tritone.

Orange and blue layer through the descent. Light orange at G#6 opens the painting — the blue of the tritone partner rendered warm and pale at this extreme height. The violet accent at A#4 passes through the middle, then the orange of D4 and the gray of D3 ground the bass. The palette is muted throughout, the soft dynamic keeping every color restrained.

A companion to the preceding descent, but quieter, more notes, the tritone explored in closer steps. The phrase sinks from pale warmth at the top into the cool gray of the lower register, the violet accent a single moment of outside color in an otherwise pure tritone study.