Concision
This piece is about contrast. There is slow, serene, and hauntingly still music punctuated by dramatic outbursts, and there is rhythmic figuration and colorful patterning calmed by floating melodic lines. As these different musical elements weave in and out of the overall texture, the mood shifts—sometimes gradually, sometimes suddenly.
Throughout, the clarinet and saxophone play in near rhythmic unison, blending together into a hybrid instrumental texture. The piano contrasts with the woodwinds, providing harmonic richness, resonance, and articulated accentuation.
As conveyed by the title, the sudden dramatic changes and terse musical gestures are intentionally lean, clear, and concise.
DATE
2022DURATION
11 minutesINSTRUMENTATION
ClarinetSaxophone
Piano
COMMISSION
Fuse TrioChristian Ellenwood (cl.)
Matthew Sintchak (sax.)
Clara Christian (pno.)
PREMIERE
February 4, 2022College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, MO
ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES
July 22, 2024Cornerstone Church of Spring Green
Spring Green, WI
April 6, 2022
University of Wisconsin Whitewater
Whitewater, WI