PROGRAM NOTES

Echoes, like many of my pieces, deals with asymmetrical rhythmic patterns, the idea of moving while standing still, and the beauty of the piano’s natural resonance and decay. The score is composed of a number of different musical fragments which can be played in almost any order, with a few fragments that function as structural signals. The performer is given guidelines as to the progression of the music, which call for the fragments to first be played strictly as written, gradually with more variation, and ultimately with complete freedom. In the final section, marked “Wild, on the verge of combustion,” the performer improvises freely.

 

As you can see, the performer is really completing a half-finished composition as she/he brings it to life in sound. The score was created for Maria Kouznetsova. Many thanks to Maria for her input on the score and for translating it into French. (RS)