Audio: Joss Saltzman

Three Surprise Dances

Featured musicians are the Friction Quartet: Jimmy Chan, violin; Otis Harriell, violin; Lucia Kobza, viola; and Doug Machiz, cello.

Each of these three dances for string quartet explores a different physicalized mood, from the anxious restlessness of erratic rhythms and lost footing, to the sweet romance of measured, graceful strides, to bouncing and whirling joy. — Joss Saltzman

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Pneumatos

Featured musician is Shao-Wei Chou, solo flute.

What began as a meditation on breathing evolved into a melodic rendering of the performer’s respiratory exertion — gasping, huffing, puffing, panting; shallowness and depth. Through subtle intimations and subconscious imitations, this piece attempts to reflect the oneness of performer and instrument achieved through the medium of the breath. — Joss Saltzman

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Strands of Time

Featured musicians are the Friction Quartet: Jimmy Chan, violin; Otis Harriell, violin; Lucia Kobza, viola; and Doug Machiz, cello.

This brass quintet, entitled Strands of Time, was composed for the Department of Music Admit Weekend Showcase on April 26, 2017. Atmospheric and impressionistic, it was written to take advantage of the reverberant space of Memorial Church, with the tuba playing from the back of the hall, trombone in the organ gallery, French horn in the chancel, and the two trumpets in the transept balconies. The title is descriptive, reflecting how the five parts are interweaved in a contrapuntal texture incorporating flexible delays and imitations that are emphasized by the spatialization. These "strands of time" are united by melodic and harmonic variations and fragmentations of a simple, yet yearning, central theme. — Joss Saltzman

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