metronome
Composed in 2010 (revised 2018)
Duration: 5:00
Instrumentation: flute, viola, piano (also available for flute, violin, and piano, or clarinet, viola, and piano)
While attending the 2009 MusicX festival in Blonay, Switzerland, I had the great fortune to work with the members of eighth blackbird, one of the most exciting new music groups working today. It was truly inspiring to see how eighth blackbird worked in rehearsal, since they had so many tricks and techniques to bring out the best in themselves and, most importantly, in the music.
When I was asked to return to MusicX the following summer, my thoughts immediately turned to those amazing rehearsals. I felt that the secretive world of rehearsal was ripe for compositional exploration. Thinking of the metronome, that tiny little device meant to keep us performers honest, I decided to write a piece that would have a metronome built into its very fabric. Just as one might do in a real rehearsal, the tempo of the metronome is bumped up in small increments, until what began as a reasonably paced work becomes a madcap dash to the end.
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In April 2018 I was invited to revise Metronome as one of five composer fellows selected for the Intimacy of Creativity Festival in Hong Kong, led by Bright Sheng. I moved the flute part to clarinet, and composed an entirely new ending for the piece. I happily accept both versions, and leave the choice of instrumentation and ending to the performers.
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First Performance: June 30th, 2010, Music10 Festival
Bartok Hall, Hindemith Foundation, Blonay, Switzerland
Kelli Kathman, flute; Alisa Seavey, viola; Lisa Kaplan, piano
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Recording: November 4th, 2010, New Music New Haven
Morse Recital Hall, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Zhou Peng, flute; Janice Lamarre, viola; Esther Park, piano
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First Performance of the revised version: April 29th, 2018,
Intimacy of Creativity, Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong
Israeli Chamber Project: Tibi Cziger, clarinet; Wenting Kang, viola; Assaff Weisman, piano
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Related Works:
Nitwit, Oddment, Blubber, Tweak
