Twist
Work Overview
Instrumentation: violin and guitar
Commission: Astral Artists for Kristin Lee and Jason Vieaux with a grant from the NEA
Premiere: World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA, April 25, 2014
Duration: approx. 13 minutes
Program Note
In three movements –
Twisted Prelude
Twisted Pipa
Twisted Jam
The movements are reinterpretations of—my “twists” on—a Baroque prelude, a traditional pipa work, and some jam session licks. In “Twisted Prelude,” I take stock bariolage passages and then gradually contort the phrases in various ways such as by blurring the lines aleatorically, adding dissonances to create a jarring effect between instruments, and adding rhythmic punches. “Twisted Pipa” alludes to court pipa music with added color from guitar swoops, violin pizzicati, and harmonics. The movement builds to a dramatic dissonant climax before the return of a delicate atmosphere. “Twisted Jam” is a fun, fast close to the piece, featuring licks for both violin and guitar, solo passages, and percussive hitting that develops to a rowdy, intense close.
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Errata List
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