Flickers

Flickers is a lighthearted, 10' minute long work consisting of six short musical poems I wrote during the pandemic. The pieces feature a variety of characters and styles, but are generally linked together through a similar harmonic language, brevity of phrasing, and a propensity towards the humoresque. I like to think of them as a group of people sitting around a campfire, each speaking their own piece - some tell jokes, some reminisce, others simply complain. Hence the title has two meanings - the first regards the composition itself: phrases are often very short and iterate upon themselves rapidly, in the way a fire might flicker and crackle, and the second is the idea that a campfire is a place to tell stories.

This piece is very challenging, although it may not seem like it on the surface. The challenge here lies not with any particular notes or rhythms, but rather with the ensemble's ability to coordinate. There are lots of tempo changes, pauses, and cues that need to be addressed in order to facilitate a successful performance. In a very abstract way, it's a bit like Balinese kebyar - by that I mean you can't just read down your individual part, you have to know how that part fits within the greater context of the musical line, and more importantly, the ensemble has to be completely synced in its interpretation of tempo and style. Because of this, parts consist of individualized scores for each player.

This recording is a compilation of the work's premier and a rehearsal.