Pourtinade (1990) by Linda Bouchard
for viola and percussion

Pourtinade is a collage of condensed statements, each a separate entity but related to one another stylistically and structurally. The order of the five main sections and four transition segments is left to the decision of the performers. The score suggests alternating main and transitional sections, and sections can be repeated. In Pourtinade the instrumentalists have more than interpretive freedom; they are given control over the dramatic flow of the piece. The message changes according to the juxtaposition of the abstract imagery.

The movements are entitled:
Gerbe (bunch or spray);
La Meute (the pack of wolves);
Ressac-Rompu (broken undertow);
L'abandon Etroit (narrow abandon);
Bruine-Derision (sarcastic drizzle);
Tirade De Pioche (pick's tirade);
Pacte (the deal);
Nomade (nomad);
Le Massacre — Outil (massacre as a tool).

Pourtinade was commissioned by Tina Pelikan, violist, and is recorded on the ECM Label performed by Kim Kashkashian on viola and Robyn Schulkowsky on percussion.