Work » Projects » Hold (or, the gift of patterns) 2019
Hold (or, the gift of patterns) draws its inspiration from thinking about small sounds ranging from the discrete ring of a plucked string to the gentle noise of crumpled paper. Specifically, I’m interested in the repetition of such sounds, their variance, and how, depending on context, they may offer surprise or, at times, comfort.
The unfurls in five short movements articulated by contrasting material and spatial pairings of instruments (especially percussion, piano, and harp):
I. Let us begin
II. at a moment
III. in which, tumbling toward its consequent
IV. a span half-spent
V. springs to conclusion.
Many thanks to Roger Mathew Grant for the original prose titling these movements.
This piece was commissioned by the Center for Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago. Enormous gratitude to the Augusta Read Thomas, Anthony Cheung, and Sam Pluta. Many thanks to the fearless musicians of the Grossman Ensemble and conductor Jerry Hou for their expertise and musicality throughout the rehearsal process.
