Sunday, February 8, 2015

Previous Two Weeks and What's Next!

I've made a lot of progress with my composing in the last couple of weeks. I wrote a third and final piece to my set of miniatures for violin and piano. This one, entitled ...and the wind gushed..., depicts the gradual transformation of a gentle, flowing breeze to a more swirling and chaotic wind. I use a fast undulating pattern in the piano and frequent scales, trills, tremolos and other sweeping gestures in both instruments. The most striking feature of the miniature, and the one feature that the class commented on, is the abrupt ending. I have decided that this piece will be the first in the set, and the sudden ending will lead directly into the second piece ...and the wind whispered... without break. I think that this kind of ending will peak the interest of the listeners, and the loud and furious ending of the first piece will be complete a complete contrast from the quiet, eerie opening of the second piece The set will end with ...and the wind howled... (see previous blog posts for discussion on these pieces). This week, I finished the editing of all three pieces and submitted my final version.

I have begun my second project, a piano trio. This will be a programmatic work, as the subject matter will be the nine rings of Hell as described by Dante in his epic poem Inferno. My plan is to create an interconnected set of sections, each musically depicting the physical conditions of each circle and emotional states of the people who inhabit them. All of the musical material will be derived from the few motives established in my "Prologue" and the piece will reach its climax in the ninth circle "Treachery," where Satan himself resides. As well, I am planning on including a number of extended techniques for the piano, including playing on the strings, unusual strokes, playing on the wood of the piano, etc. in order to create eerie and mysterious sounds. Plus, there will be more surprises, which I won't divulge at this time... It's an exciting project and I'm looking forward to embarking on this journey! 

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