Trialogue (2018)

Program Notes:

The range of the english horn is divided into three registers – the low, the mid, and the high. Each register has an identity defined by its connotations and characteristic qualities. The low register is characterized by warm, rich lyricism and melancholic, jaded gestures. The high register is characterized by its pale and strained tone quality, evoking a sense of bitterness and precariousness. The mid register – the most assertive and aggressive of the three identities – is characterized by its facility, agility, and sharp articulation.

In this scenario, the registers present themselves in various ways, adhering strictly to their registral boundaries and characteristic qualities until the mid register enters. Here, the boundaries are blurred as the mid register expands into the spaces of the others, rendering the unique qualities of the others lost. This extinguishing continues – soon, all that is left is the identity of mid register permeating the full range of the instrument. Having silenced the other identities, the destructive qualities of the mid register ultimately lead to its demise: its own identity disintegrates.

Trialogue is another musical exploration of ideas concerning identity; I find these themes particularly relevant not only to myself but also to our society as a whole. Trialogue does not however present any specific idea or symbol for resolution. I offer Trialogue simply as a musical manifestation of my own struggle with these ideas.