for piano trio (2017)
premiered by Longleash
Hunter college, 4/5/1
score - soundcloud
Program note:
Metronomic
time usually functions as an anchor, a means of orientation. Here, metronomic
time is made strange. In that sense this piece takes its cues from Ustvolskaya,
a composer who is able to find the otherworldly within dry textures and regular
pulsation. None of Ustvolskaya’s tormented spirituality is present here,
however. Instead, the piece offers a child-like investigation into the basic
elements of music, inviting the listener to hear familiar sounds in a surreal
new light, as if for the first time.
The piece is animated by a remark from Ludwig Wittgenstein’s personal notebooks: “Don’t,for heaven’s sake be afraid of speaking nonsense. But you must pay attention to your nonsense.”
The piece is animated by a remark from Ludwig Wittgenstein’s personal notebooks: “Don’t,for heaven’s sake be afraid of speaking nonsense. But you must pay attention to your nonsense.”