Just dreams (2021)

Program Notes:

Since about 2016, I have wanted to write a piece which is entirely slow and mostly quiet – one that captures a dim, mysterious, melancholic glow that seems pale, effervescent, and capable of evaporating at any given moment. This craving has been only partially fullled in some of the slow movements of my other works. However, in the pursuit of contrast, many of these movements stray from their quiet sound worlds and erupt into more passionate and bombastic textures. The title Just dreams not only sets the mood for the nebulous, oating quality of the music but also suggests this mood will be maintained throughout.

The piece contains three “lines”. The presentation of a new line denotes the start of a new section – these are marked No. I, No. II, and No. III. As the piece progresses, memories and echoes of past lines permeate the sections of the new lines. Their relationships are demonstrated below:

No. I = Line 1 + premonitions of Line 2

No. II = Line 2 + Line 1

No. III = Line 3 + fragments of Lines 1 & 2

In lieu of a more contrast-based sense of dramatic trajectory, the form is driven by the counterpoint of these lines, the progress of the somewhat saccharine harmonies, and the subtle transformation of timbre as the lines are ltered though the various instrumental pairings/groupings.