a comfortable desert, a motionless ark

Bradley Fletcher

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Solo

2023

9 min.

Piano

Program Notes: “Already, he was dreaming of a refined solitude, a comfortable desert, a motionless ark in which to seek refuge from the unending deluge of human stupidity.” -Joris-Karl Huysmans, À rebours As an individual, I am on the edge between introversion and extroversion, I am at my base an introvert, and as such often tempted to shut myself away, but as a composer I feel a compulsion to interact with the world, to try and interpret it as sound fragments and make them sing. Art is one of the greatest tools of advocacy there is. While art that functions as commentary/advocacy and still functions as art is a hard line to walk, I believe that it is the duty of the 21st century artist to strive to find this line, as generations have done before them. I usually write in what may be described as a “blocky” style, moving rapidly from one idea to the next. However, In this work, I sought to challenge myself to write a piece that continuously develops from start to finish. To this end, I attempted to manifest both my artistic side as a composer and my existence as a social being. In weaving dramatically between quiet contemplation and loud action, ultimately I hope it shows that while self-care is good and necessary, we can’t allow ourselves to neglect our role in the world.
Recording Notes: Performed at SICPP (sick puppy festival) 2023
Ensemble Name: Pauline Pu