Mathilde is my second string quartet, taking inspiration from the words of poet Euan Tait. It tells the story of Mathilde Schoenberg, her husband Arnold and the love of her life, painter Richard Gerstl. The quartet opens with Mathilde's loneliness, with joy and then love entering the music as Richard enters her life. The central movement is a love song between the two lovers. It ends in tragedy as their love is discovered and the final lament is reminiscent of Dido's great lament for her lost love. The quartet parts interweave and play with each other. The big melodies are shared between the parts and the dramatic moments capture the audience. Written in a polymodal style, the seven movements carry the listener from dullness, through ecstatic love to the mourning of a great loss. Mathilde's voice is brought to life by a soprano, adding to the rich texture of the quartet. Mathilde was commissioned by Pat Halling and premiered by his Quartet Promusica on 26 September 2018. The audience was enthralled. Mathilde is scored for string quartet and soprano. Duration 12'. There's more at www.dominicmcgonigal.com.

Three movements of beautiful polymodal writing, with rich counterpoint and soaring melodies. The opening movement has a dance-like theme, yet with dark overtones. The central slow movement has a haunting tune played in turn by the first violin, viola and cello. The final movement is fast and jolly. Throughout the piece, the four instruments are in conversation, passing thematic material between them, with exciting rhythmic interplay. Lasting about 17', Quartet In Conversation is a contemporary work, respecting the legacy of the great quartets of Beethoven, Ravel, Bartok, Shostakovich and John Adams. There's more at www.dominicmcgonigal.com