unfurl

unfurl (2022)

Duration: approx. 3 mins 20 sec

Difficulty: Moderate-Advanced

Download includes full score and complete set of performance parts.



unfurl is the result of an experiment. Conceived structurally on a walk, the harmonic plan that unfolds throughout the piece was jotted down hastily and without a piano at hand- very unusual for me. The rhythmic structure was planned while I was a passenger on a long car trip (no piano there either), and a few weeks later the three components were brought together to create… what exactly? A musical exploration of unfolding, expanding harmonies? A study in repetition and holding tension through continual tiny shifts? Maybe it’s a duet for any two instruments, which works best when played in a resonant acoustic?

Regardless of what it is, I think that unfurl is quite effective. I like the fact that aside from range, it doesn’t rely too much upon the characteristics of the two instruments in order to work. I like the elements of freedom and ensemble it demands of the players, from articulation matching to decisions about the number of repetitions. I particularly like how it demonstrates that a composer can work in a very different way from usual, and still create something intriguing, enjoyable, listenable, and very playable.