presence, absence, degree








In composing this piece I tried to explore—in a more comprehensive manner than in my previous works—the stratification of music-perceptual layers; by "layers" I do not mean the juxtaposition of textures or voices in a polyphony, but rather, a gestalt of distinct and comprehensive musical objects, each with its own defined social and historical identity. It is my hope that the various layers comprising this piece may interact in a novel way in the mind of the listener; for example, if attention is focused on the piano in the opening section, then the materials performed by the other instruments should serve to subtly obscure its clarity while simultaneously yielding gentle sympathetic resonances which are not entirely stylistic incongruent. Conversely, if the listener focuses on the cello in the same opening section, then the aforementioned material played by the piano, along with that of the viola, violin, flute & clarinet, should likewise act as subordinate accompaniments that respond in sympathy. In other words, each layer is intended to function as a potential perceptual "foreground," if the listener's ear chooses to focus on it, or as a component of the "background" if the listener's ear is drawn elsewhere.

Frequent reference is made to tonality in this work, although its use alongside protracted layers of noise and drone-like material is not intended as an ironic dichotomy. In our innermost ear, when we reminisce about music we have heard in the past, we find that the material being recalled has been flattened, dispossessed of its timbral brilliance; and at the same time, intruding elements swirl around, obscure, and render non-linear our internal playback. As with a number of my works, this piece is also an attempt to "orchestrate" this process of inner listening, of the act of recalling music heard long ago.