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.”