Abstract
In 2006, I took a photo in Shanksville, Pennsylvania of a makeshift wire fence near the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93. On the fence, visitors had been attaching objects of remembrance, loss, honour and thanks since the crash. The photo captured a sudden, transient moment of hundreds of items, some carefully designed and brought to the site, while others were spontaneously offered when visitors were moved upon seeing it.
Sudden Memorials was completed on 31 May, 2021. Its duration is 30 minutes, with an option for the pianist to improvise while looking at the photo for an additional two minutes. During concert performances, the pianist is asked to seek invisible memorial objects from within the piano, the score and the air. These gestures coincide with the start of a subsequent musical “object”, some of which sound intimate or hesitant, others being extrovert and jarring.
The work is in two parts. Part 1 ends with a rowdy, communal wall (fence) of noise. Part 2 brings the listener to a mysterious resonance which attempts to contain what was lost and then end the piece, but finds it difficult. The pianist is attempting the unobtainable.
Sudden Memorials is dedicated to Adam who gave the premiere at Wigmore Hall, London on 11 Sept 2021 at 1pm, the exact hour in Britain 20 years on the from the beginning of 9/11. The work was released on the Coviello label in September 2021.
Sudden Memorials was completed on 31 May, 2021. Its duration is 30 minutes, with an option for the pianist to improvise while looking at the photo for an additional two minutes. During concert performances, the pianist is asked to seek invisible memorial objects from within the piano, the score and the air. These gestures coincide with the start of a subsequent musical “object”, some of which sound intimate or hesitant, others being extrovert and jarring.
The work is in two parts. Part 1 ends with a rowdy, communal wall (fence) of noise. Part 2 brings the listener to a mysterious resonance which attempts to contain what was lost and then end the piece, but finds it difficult. The pianist is attempting the unobtainable.
Sudden Memorials is dedicated to Adam who gave the premiere at Wigmore Hall, London on 11 Sept 2021 at 1pm, the exact hour in Britain 20 years on the from the beginning of 9/11. The work was released on the Coviello label in September 2021.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | solo piano music |
| Media of output | musical composition |
| Publisher | Composers Edition |
| Number of pages | 44 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9790570684120 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9790570684120 |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Jul 2021 |
Keywords
- community, memorialisation, piano music, theatrical