Complete Works by Year |
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Canon to Stravinsky (1972) • duration: 2' |
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When Stravinsky passed away in 1971, many composers wrote canons in his memory. A charming early work dedicated to one of my musical heroes. |
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fl., cl., bsn., vla. |
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Christabel (1972) • duration: 8' |
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One of the most enduring of my student pieces, at the
crossroads where Ives meets minimalism. A haunting. |
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five solo flutes and viola |
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![]() • recording on CD: Angelus Novus > buy CD |
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The Book of Heads (1978) • duration:60' |
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35 etudes for solo guitar in idiosyncratic notation that can be played as written, or used as jumping off points for improvisation. |
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solo guitar |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Book of Heads > buy CD |
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Dead Ringer (1982) • duration: 2' |
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Extracted from the game piece Sebastopol, this brief
piano miniature makes for a wonderful encore showpiece. |
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solo piano |
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Road Runner (1986) • duration: 6' |
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An early exploration of genre busting in a cartoon format. |
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solo accordion |
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Cat O' Nine Tails (1988) • duration: 14' |
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Eluding classification to this day, this genre
jumper is a favorite of quartets the world over. Filled with plenty
of drama, humor and musical games, this piece is lot of fun both to play and to listen to. Tex Avery meets the Marquis de Sade. |
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string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: The String Quartets > buy CD • recording on CD: Cartoon S/M > buy CD |
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For Your Eyes Only (1989) • duration: 14' |
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Cinema for the ears, this chamber favorite is a kaleidoscopic tribute to many of my musical heroes: Mozart, Varese,
Carter, Berg, Stravinsky, Stalling, Scott, Schoenberg, Scelsi, Ives, Boulez, Ligeti, Xenakis, Reich etc. |
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1 (picc)/1/1 (b cl)/1; 2/2/1/1; perc (3), harp, pno; 2 vln, vla, vcl, cb |
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![]() • recording on CD: Angelus Novus > buy CD • recording on CD: Cartoon S/M > buy CD |
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The Dead Man (1990) • duration: 20' |
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Screams, scrapes, scratches and howls in the night. These thirteen short movements, inspired by the book of the same name by French philosopher Georges Bataille, contain perhaps the most overt
S/M subtexts in all of my work. |
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string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: The String Quartets > buy CD • recording on CD: Cartoon S/M > buy CD |
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Carny (1991) • duration: 14' |
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Ives, Tatum, Chopin, Messiaen, Monk, Beethoven, Scriabin, Floyd Kramer, Boulez, Nancarrow, cocktail piano...... Jumping moods and styles from bar to bar, this is a favorite of many young modern music virtuosos. Next to Cobra, my most oft-performed
composition. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Angelus Novus > buy CD • recording on CD: Cartoon S/M > buy CD |
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Memento Mori (1992) • duration: 27' |
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An intensely personal, emotional and complexly hermetic work that relates more to Harry Smith's film Heaven and Earth Magic than to any previous musical models. A trip through another dimension, featuring coded messages and fleeting references to Berg's Lyric Suite. |
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string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: The String Quartets > buy CD • recording on CD: Cartoon S/M > buy CD |
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Angelus Novus (1993) • duration: 15' |
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A kabbalistic piece for winds dedicated to Jewish cultural theorist Walter Benjamin.
In five movements: Peshat, Tzomet, Aliya, Herut, Pardes. |
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ob (2), cl (2), bsn (2); hn (2) |
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Aporias: Requia for Piano and Orchestra (1994) • duration: 40' |
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A sprawling ten movement work, part piano concerto/ part
requiem exploring the mysterious passages from life to death and back again. |
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solo piano; six boy sopranos; 4 (picc/a fl)/4 (eng hn)/4 (b cl, cb cl)/4 (cbn); 4/4/4/1; perc (4), harp, cel; str (10-10-10-10-5) |
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![]() • recording on CD: Aporias Requia for piano and orchestra > buy CD |
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Dark River (1995) • duration: 9' |
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A sonic ritual for four bass drums. Sombre and hypnotic. |
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four bass drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Redbird > buy CD |
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Kol Nidre (1996) • duration: 8' |
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Meditation and prayer transcribed for four clarinets. |
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clarinet quartet |
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Kol Nidre (1996) • duration:8' |
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Perhaps the most fitting arrangement of this very personal and spiritual work, drawing inspiration from the Jewish call to prayer on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur. |
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string orchestra |
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![]() • recording on CD: Fragmentations, Prayers And Interjections > buy CD |
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Kol Nidre (1996) • duration: 8' |
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An arrangement for string quartet of a piece originally written for the Masada songbook. My most traditional work
for concert repertoire. Lyrical and Haunting. |
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string quartet |
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Music For Children (1996) • duration: 14' |
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Toys, ice skating, candy, spanking, jacks, carousels, slides, snakes and ladders, treehouses, dolls, magic tricks, swings....a vision of children unlike any other. |
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vln; perc, pno |
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![]() • recording on CD: Music for Children > buy CD • recording on CD: Cartoon S/M > buy CD |
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Orchestra Variations (1996) • duration:6' |
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Breaking the full orchestra into small chamber groups,
this enigmatic miniature creates an intimacy rarely heard in modern orchestral music. Written for the 200th anniversary of the New York Philharmonic, and dedicated to Leonard Bernstein. |
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4(alto fl)/4/4 (b cl)/4 (cbn); 3/4/4/1; timp,perc (4), harp,pno (cel), str |
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![]() • recording on CD: Fragmentations, Prayers And Interjections > buy CD |
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Shibboleth (1997) • duration: 14' |
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This fragile, elusive work was inspired by the writings of Jewish poet Paul Celan. Perhaps my most beautiful and enigmatic composition, certainly my quietest. |
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vln, vla, vcl; perc, clavichord |
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![]() • recording on CD: From Silence to Sorcery > buy CD |
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Rituals (1998) • duration: 30' |
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Wind machines, wooden gears, gravedigging, bull
roarers, bird squeakers, stochastics, and complex vocalise from a lyric soprano. Dramatically staged, this could make a mysterious one act opera. |
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solo mezzo-soprano; fl (picc, a. fl), cl (e-flat cl, b. cl), bsn; trb; perc (2), pno (cel, org, hpd); vln, vcl, cb |
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![]() • recording on CD: Rituals > buy CD |
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Amour Fou (1999) • duration: 18' |
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A work of sensuality combining eroticism with mystical
transcendence in a world of Surrealistic French decadence. |
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vln, vcl; pno |
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![]() • recording on CD: Love, Madness and Mysticism > buy CD |
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Contes de Fées (1999) • duration: 12' |
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In the tradition of the great violin concertos, this is a powerful and dramatic showpiece for soloist and orchestra in the form of a romantic fantasy. |
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solo violin; 1/alto fl/1/eng hn/E-flat cl (b cl)
cl (b cl)/1/cbn; 1/0/1/1; perc (3); pno (cel, hpschd), str (6-5-4-3-2) |
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![]() • recording on CD: What Thou Wilt > buy CD |
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Le Mômo (1999) • duration: 16' |
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Inspired by the visionary 20th Century shaman Antonin
Artaud, this intense, hallucinatory work charts the ritualistic road to madness and beyond. |
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vln; pno |
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![]() • recording on CD: Love, Madness and Mysticism > buy CD |
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Untitled (1999) • duration: 14' |
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Nostalgia, romance and a touch of surrealism filter
through a set of very private obsessions. Dedicated to artist Joseph Cornell. |
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solo cello |
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![]() • recording on CD: Love, Madness and Mysticism > buy CD |
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Gri-Gri (2000) • duration:8' |
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A very challenging and very difficult polyrhythmic piece for 13 tuned drums. Virtuoso voodoo. |
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solo percussion |
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![]() • recording on CD: From Silence to Sorcery > buy CD |
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La Machine de l'etre (2000) • duration:12' |
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A colorful 12 minute monodrama inspired by the late drawings of Antonin Artaud that can be dramatically staged or presented on the concert stage. |
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solo soprano; 3 (2 and 3 doub bass fl)/3 (3 doub eng hn)/3 (2 and 3 doub bass cl)/3; 4/3/3/1; perc (4), hp, pno (cel, hpschd), str (12-10-8-6-4) |
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![]() • recording on CD: Music And Its Double > buy CD |
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Chimeras (2001) • duration: 31' |
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Loosely inspired by the remarkable world of Henry Darger, which throws childlike innocence against a background of perversion and violence, Chimeras is a work of fantasy and imagination for a Pierrot Lunaire ensemble plus percussion. Each of the twelve movements pit the vocalist against a changing kaleidoscope of sonic dramas, climaxing with all-out war in a breathtaking tutti for all eight musicians. |
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soprano (2); fl, cl; perc, kybd; vn, vc |
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![]() • recording on CD: Chimeras > buy CD |
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Goetia (2002) • duration: 20' |
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The connection of the violin to Satanism has been well documented, and Paganini's supposed pact with the devil inspires in part this set of eight variations/ incantations for contacting demonic spirits. |
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solo violin |
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![]() • recording on CD: From Silence to Sorcery > buy CD |
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Sortilége (2002) • duration: 9' |
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Witchcraft and sorcery....a spell, featuring perhaps
the most difficult music yet written for the bass clarinet. One of
the most energetic and outrageously spectacular pieces in my catalog. |
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2 bass clarinets |
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![]() • recording on CD: Magick > buy CD |
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Hermeticum Sacrum (2003) • duration: 20' |
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A Sacred Ritual from a Secret Temple. Religious music,
mysterious and beautiful, that touches upon the work of Aleister Crowley, and the misfits that brought mysticism to the west. A Black Mass. |
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sop, mezzo, alto, ten, bar, bass; org (2); perc (4); hp |
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Necronomicon (2003) • duration: 22' |
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A five movement tour de force of Black Magic and Alchemy, with perhaps the most intense ensemble writing I've yet achieved. |
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string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: Magick > buy CD |
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Frammenti del Sappho (2004) • duration: 12' |
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Breathtakingly beautiful music for five female voices that speaks to the feminine. A minimalist motet—a hymn to sensuality.
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five female voices |
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![]() • recording on CD: Mysterium > buy CD |
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Orphée (2004) • duration: 8' |
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A modern reading of the Orpheus legend inspired by French Romanticism and Debussy's Sonata for flute, viola and harp. |
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fi; vla; hp, cel/ hpschd, perc, electronics |
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![]() • recording on CD: Mysterium > buy CD |
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Walpurgisnacht (2004) • duration: 7'30 / 9'00 |
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The Night of Evil. A Witches' Sabbath in two movements, with a third movement that should only be performed during the cycle of the full moon. |
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vn, va, vcl |
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![]() • recording on CD: Mysterium > buy CD |
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.·. (fay çe que vouldras) (2005) • duration: 18' |
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Explores the Rabelais/ Crowley axiom of "do what thou wilt" through an eclectic language of tone clusters and colors both inside the piano and at the keyboard. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: What Thou Wilt > buy CD |
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Cadenza: Ligeti’s Violin Concerto (2005) • duration: 1' |
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Written for violinist Jennifer Koh after getting permission from Maestro Ligeti himself, this is a very intense cadenza to one of the 20th century's great concertos. |
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solo violin |
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Cadenza: Ligeti’s Violin Concerto (2005) • duration: 1' |
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Written for violinist Jennifer Koh after getting permission from Maestro Ligeti himself, this is a very intense cadenza to one of the 20th century's great concertos. |
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solo violin |
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Evocation of a Neophyte and How the Secrets of the Black Arts were Revealed unto Her by the Demon Baphomet (2005) • duration: 13' |
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A magical initiation for soloist, chorus and four players drawing upon the mystery of Enochean Ritual. |
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solo soprano; sop (3), mezzo (3), alto (3), ten (3), bar (3), bass (3); hp; cbn; perc (2) |
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Éloges - odes and epitaphia for guitar and medieval ensemble (2006) • duration: 7' |
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Derek Bailey In Memoriam. A quirky and personal tribute to one of my biggest mentors. |
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sop. mezzo, alto; hurdy-gurdy, harp, viola de gamba, percussion, and improvising arch-top guitar (or lute) |
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777 (2007) • duration: 7' |
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Nothing is true—everything is permitted. A deliriously virtuosic piece of Crowleyana inspired by the angelic tables of Edward Kelley and John Dee. |
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3 celli |
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![]() • recording on CD: What Thou Wilt > buy CD |
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Shir ha-Shirim (The Song of Songs) (2007) • duration: 30' |
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A lyrical and sensual evocation of the world's first erotic verse. This piece exists in TWO versions—one for five accappella voices, and one with two narrators (male and female) added who read the Song of Songs over the vocal ensemble. It can be performed in any language and to date has been presented in English, French, Italian and the original Hebrew. |
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five female voices with two optional narrators |
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![]() • recording on CD: Shir Hashirim > buy CD |
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The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches and Demons (2007) • duration: 9' |
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An intense and dramatically lyrical mini-concerto for flute accompanied by live foley sound effects/amplified percussion and electronics. |
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flute, perc.(2), live electronics |
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Là-Bas (2009) • duration: 6' |
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A wild satanic composition for solo organ using hypnotic ostinatos, sand bags and wooden boards to invoke the left hand path of the infamous Huysmans novel. |
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solo organ |
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A Rebours (2010) • duration:11' |
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A memorial to the late Gyôrgy Ligeti, this colorful concerto for cello and three instrumental trios depicts the decadent worlds of 19th century French novelist J.K. Huysmans. A commission from Tanglewood 2011 courtesy of Charles Wuorinen. |
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solo vc, fl, cl, perc(3), hp, vn, va, vc |
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![]() • recording on CD: Music And Its Double > buy CD |
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A Rebours (2010) • duration:11' |
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A memorial to the late Gyôrgy Ligeti, this colorful concerto for cello and three instrumental trios depicts the decadent worlds of 19th century French novelist J.K. Huysmans. A commission from Tanglewood 2011 courtesy of Charles Wuorinen.
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solo vc, fl, cl, perc(3), hp, vn, va, vc |
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![]() • recording on CD: Music And Its Double > buy CD |
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Illuminations (2010) • duration:12' |
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A wild piece for piano inspired by the radical 19th century French
poet Arthur Rimbaud, whose journey to become a true visionary through
"total derangement of the senses" led him to create some of the most
personal and intense literature in human history. |
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solo piano with improvising bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Rimbaud > buy CD |
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Bateau Ivre (2011) • duration:9' |
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With a tempo that is constantly in flux, The Drunken Boat (of Arthur Rimbaud) sways to and fro and is finally consumed in a dramatic sea swell in this very French "concerto grosso" for flute, clarinet and vibes with a "continuo" of piano and string trio. |
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fl, cl, vib, pno, vn, va, vc |
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![]() • recording on CD: Rimbaud > buy CD |
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Ceremonial Magic (2011) • duration:20' |
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A magic ritual for solo violin with optional improvised percussion. Can be performed with a drum set player or as a solo piece. In four movements. |
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vn, perc / drum set |
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![]() • recording on CD: Lemma > buy CD |
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Ceremonial Magic (2011) • duration:20' |
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A magic ritual for solo violin with optional improvised percussion. Can be performed with a drum set player or as a solo piece. In four movements. |
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solo violin |
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![]() • recording on CD: Lemma > buy CD |
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Passagen (2011) • duration:16' |
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Dedicated to Elliott Carter and presented to him as a birthday gift,
Passagen is a virtuosic tour de force for solo violin. |
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solo violin |
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![]() • recording on CD: Lemma > buy CD |
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The Alchemist, a true and faithful chronicling of the esoteric spiritual conferences and concomitant hermetic actions conducted by Her Majesty's Alchemist Dr. John Dee and one Edward Kelley invoking the Nine Hierarchies of Angelic Orders to visible appearance, circa 1587 (2011) • duration:20' |
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A trip through an Alchemist's laboratory. A seance invoking angelic orders. Virtuosic lyricism, numerology, prayers, canons, contrapuntal complexity, alchemical procedures (distillation, calcination, crystallization, sublimation, purification, rotation) and the ghost of a fugue. |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Alchemist > buy CD |
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All Hallows' Eve (2012) • duration:14' |
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Satanic counterpoint for the Witches' Sabbath in three movements—Matins, Lauds, Vespers. A companion piece to Walpurgisnacht.
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vn, vla, vcl |
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![]() get mp3 |
![]() • recording on CD: On The Torment Of Saints, The Casting Of Spells And The Evocation Of Spirits > buy CD |
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Apophthegms (2012) • duration: 17' |
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Twelve virtuoso miniatures for two violins. |
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vln (2) |
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![]() • recording on CD: Lemma > buy CD |
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Earthspirit (2012) • duration:13' |
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Chorales, preludes, odes and dances for the pagan solstice. Inspired in part by Ireland's ancient Newgrange monument, Earthspirit is a curious and eclectic setting of The Song of Amergin, the oldest Celtic sacred text.
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three female voices |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Alchemist > buy CD |
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Jumalattaret (2012) • duration: 22' |
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Words of Magic and Incantations in praise of the Goddesses. A song cycle inspired by Finnish pagan goddesses using fragmented texts from the Kalevala. Proem:Opening Invocation—Päivätär—Vedenemo—Akka—Louhi—Mielikki—Kuu—Tellervo—Ilmatar—Velamo—Postlude. |
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sop, pno |
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Missa Sine Voces (2012) • duration:13' |
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A beautiful instrumental miniature for five players written in the form of a Requiem Mass. Introit, Kyrie, Dies Irae, Tuba Mirum, Rex Tremendae, Confutatis, Lacrimosa, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, Lux Aeternam, Libera Me, In Paradisum |
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pno., hp., vib., chimes, perc. |
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![]() • recording on CD: Myth And Mythopoeia > buy CD |
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Suppots et Suppliciations (2012) • duration:20' |
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The title translates as Fiends and Torturings. "Je ferai du con sans la mere un ame obscure, totale, obtuse et absolue." Antonin Artaud. |
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3 (picc, alto)/3 (eng h)/3 (Eb, bass clar)/2, cbn; 4/3/2, bass tbn/1; 4 perc; harp, pno (cel); str (14/12/10/8/6) |
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![]() • recording on CD: Fragmentations, Prayers And Interjections > buy CD |
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The Holy Visions (2012) • duration:25' |
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A Mystery Play in 11 strophes concerning the life, work and philosophy of 12th Century composer, healer and visionary mystic Hildegard von Bingen. With original texts in Latin, it may be presented as a concert work or staged (preferably in a church setting). |
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five female voices |
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![]() • recording on CD: Sacred Visions > buy CD |
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The Nymphs (2012) • duration: 11' |
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A mystic dance for bass marimba. Originally composed for the ensemble The Gnostic Trio and released on the CD The Mysteries. |
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bass marimba |
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The Steppenwolf (2012) • duration:7' |
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For madmen only! Price of admission: your mind. A dynamic and colorful virtuoso showpiece for solo clarinet. |
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solo clar in A |
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![]() • recording on CD: There Is No More Firmament > buy CD |
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The Tempest (2012) • duration:10' |
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The magical Shakespearean drama performed by three instrumentalists. |
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fl, cl (bass cl), perc (drum set) |
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![]() get mp3 |
![]() • recording on CD: On The Torment Of Saints, The Casting Of Spells And The Evocation Of Spirits > buy CD |
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The Temptations of St. Anthony (2012) • duration:9' |
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Thirteen talismanic antiphons for piano and nine instruments. A mini piano concerto in the form of a philosophical dialogue between Saint Anthony (the piano) and his tormentors (ensembles of winds and strings.) A cry in the wilderness. |
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solo pno; fl, eng h, cl, bsn, hn; vn, vla, vcl, cb |
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![]() get mp3 |
![]() • recording on CD: On The Torment Of Saints, The Casting Of Spells And The Evocation Of Spirits > buy CD |
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The Temptations of St. Anthony (2012) • duration:9' |
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Thirteen talismanic antiphons for piano and nine instruments. A mini piano concerto in the form of a philosophical dialogue between Saint Anthony (the piano) and his tormentors (ensembles of winds and strings.) A cry in the wilderness. |
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solo pno; fl, eng h, cl, bsn, hn; vn, vla, vcl, cb |
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![]() get mp3 |
![]() • recording on CD: On The Torment Of Saints, The Casting Of Spells And The Evocation Of Spirits > buy CD |
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Antiphonal Fanfare for the Great Hall (2013) • duration:4' |
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A brilliant and varied fanfare composed for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
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six trumpets |
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![]() • recording on CD: There Is No More Firmament > buy CD |
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Babel: the confusion of tongues (2013) • duration:8' |
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A magical realist fantasia on one note dedicated to Jorge Luis Borges. |
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solo amplified cello |
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![]() • recording on CD: Myth And Mythopoeia > buy CD |
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Baudelaires (2013) • duration:12' |
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A mini concerto grosso dedicated to radical French poet Charles Baudelaire in three movements—1. Paris Spleen / 2. Flowers of Evil / 3. Artificial Paradises. |
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fl (bass fl), bass cl, bsn; hpschd; gtr; vn, vla, vcl |
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![]() • recording on CD: Les Maudits > buy CD |
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Hexentarot (2013) • duration: 6' |
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Twelve simple canons for the witches' Sabbath. This dynamic piece was completed on the eve of the Grand Sabbath Beltane. Can be performed as a stand alone work or as the thrid movement of three piano trios: The Aristos, Ghosts, Hexentarot. |
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vln, vcl; pno |
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![]() • recording on CD: Myth And Mythopoeia > buy CD |
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In Excelsis (2013) • duration:3' |
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A Christmas fanfare for brass octet. |
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piccolo trpt, 2 trpt in Bb, hn, 3 trbns, tba |
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In Lovely Blueness (2013) • duration: 10' |
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A magical piece in two movements inspired by Holderlin's early prose poem In Lieblicher Blaue scored for piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. |
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solo piano with improvising bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: In The Hall Of Mirrors > buy CD |
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Madrigals—Book I (2013) • duration: 20' |
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Inspired by the poetry of Percy Blysse Shelley, the first Book of Madrigals for six voices features five songs: Adonais, The Witch of Atlas, Epipsychidion, The Devil’s Walk and Endymion. |
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six female voices |
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![]() • recording on CD: Madrigals > buy CD |
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Maldoror (2013) • duration: 10' |
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A ballad for piano and improvising rhythm section of bass and drums inspired by the classic pre-surrealist masterpiece by Isidore-Lucien Ducasse (Comte de Lautréamont). "God grant that the listener, emboldened and having become at present as fierce as what he is hearing, find, without loss of bearings, his way, his wild and treacherous passage through the desolate swamps of these sombre, poison-soaked passages." |
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solo piano with improvising bass and drums |
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Novalis (2013) • duration:5' |
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A fast moving and virtuosic solo piece inspired by the mystic philosophy of 18th century German Romantic poet Novalis. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Encomia > buy CD |
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Occam's Razor
(2013) • duration:8' |
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Lex parsimoniae. Canons, interludes and fantasies for cello and piano. |
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vcl; pno |
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Oviri (2013) • duration:8' |
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Oviri means "savage" in Tahitian. Subtitled "Orison to Paul Gauguin" Oviri is an evocative elegy to the influential and complex artist who helped redefine painting in the 20th century. |
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fl (picc, alto fl, bass fl) Eb clar (bass cl); hn, trb, bass trb; 2 perc; elec guitar; live electronics |
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![]() • recording on CD: Les Maudits > buy CD |
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Pandora's Box (2013) • duration:13' |
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A book of evil. A witch's cure. Storms, talismans, blue-eyed demons and angelic orders. A drama for string quartet and soprano with original texts in German.
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soprano and string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: Myth And Mythopoeia > buy CD |
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Pandora's Box (2013) • duration: 13' |
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A book of evil. A witch's cure. Storms, talismans, blue-eyed demons and angelic orders. A drama for string quartet and soprano with original texts in German. |
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soprano and string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: Myth And Mythopoeia > buy CD |
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Zeitgehöft (2013) • duration:8' |
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72 anamneses of Paul Celan. An enigmatic tribute to one of the world's greatest poets. |
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vl, vcl |
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A Prayer for Nossis (2014) • duration:6' |
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A mysterious pianissimo work for solo piano dedicated to the Greek lyric poet Nossis. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Encomia > buy CD |
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Divagations (2014) • duration:10' |
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Ravings and Wanderings. A two-movement work for piano with improvising rhythm section inspired by the prose poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé. |
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piano with improvising bass and drums |
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Harlequin (2014) • duration:6' |
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Composed for the same instrumentation as Canon to Stravinsky (1972), this is the first in a suite of five pieces inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte. |
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fl., cl., bsn., vla. |
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Il n'y a plus de firmament (2014) • duration:11' |
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The most extreme and intense wind quintet yet written. "There is in every madman a misunderstood genius whose idea, shining in his head, frightened people, and for whom delirium was the only solution to the strangulation that life had prepared for him."—Antonin Artaud |
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fl (picc, alto fl, b. fl), ob (eng hn), cl (e-flat cl, b. cl), bsn, hn |
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Madrigals—Book II (2014) • duration: 20' |
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The second book of Madrigals features five more songs inspired by the work of Percy Blysse Shelley: Ocean Nymphs, Old Silenus, Twilight Phantasms, Queen Mab and Universal Pan. |
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six female voices |
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![]() • recording on CD: Madrigals > buy CD |
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Nijinsky (2014) • duration:7' |
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A bravura portrait of Vaslav Nijinsky for solo piano. Propelled by a dramatic depiction of graceful and exhilarating dance moves, it is filled with leaps, fouettés, arabesques, pirouettes, cabrioles, pointe work, grand jetés, plies, a fleeting canon and a "petit saut" idée fixe which appears in no less than 12 transpositions throughout the work. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Encomia > buy CD |
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Ouroboros (2014) • duration:8' |
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The Ouroboros is an ancient hermetic motif depicting a serpent eating its own tail symbolizing cyclicality, recreation, rebirth and infinity. Here two celli (yin and yang) work together to build a torrent of intensity. The One is the All! |
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2 celli |
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![]() • recording on CD: Hen To Pan > buy CD |
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Ouroboros (2014) • duration: 8' |
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The Ouroboros is an ancient hermetic motif depicting a serpent eating its own tail symbolizing cyclicality, recreation, rebirth and infinity. Here two celli (yin and yang) work together to build a torrent of intensity. The One is the All!
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2 celli with optional improvising drum set |
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![]() • recording on CD: Hen To Pan > buy CD |
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The Aristos (2014) • duration: 11' |
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Written under the spell of John Fowles' masterwork The Magus, The Aristos is subtitled nine metaphysical ambiguities for violin, cello and piano. In keeping with enigmatic nature of The Magus, where reality and fantasy intertwine, the composition is tight and fast moving, with many surprises and unusual juxtapositions. A collection of aural philosophical aphorisms. Can be performed as a stand alone work or as the first movement of three piano trios: The Aristos, Ghosts, Hexentarot. |
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vn, vcl; pno |
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Three Preludes (2014) • duration:20' |
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Novalis (2013) A Prayer for Nossis (2014) Nijinsky (2014) Three virtuoso compositions for piano collected into a book of Three Preludes. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Encomia > buy CD |
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Trilogy (2014) • duration:15' |
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A set of three varied miniatures for piano with an improvising rhythm section of bass and drums: Tender Buttons (for Gertrude Stein); Nightwood (for Djuna Barnes); Epode (for H.D.) |
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piano with improvising bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: In The Hall Of Mirrors > buy CD |
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Autumn Rhythm (2015) • duration:12' |
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A bizarre improvisational piece for solo cello incorporating a variety of extended techniques ranging from improvisational noise to performing with two bows, one in each hand. Inspired by the "action painting" techniques of Jackson Pollock. |
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solo cello |
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![]() • recording on CD: Azoth > buy CD |
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Colombina (2015) • duration: 6' |
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The second in a suite of five pieces inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte. A delightful miniature for vocal quartet. |
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four female voices |
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![]() • recording on CD: Commedia Dell’arte > buy CD |
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Commedia dell'arte (2015) • duration: 30' |
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A suite of five miniatures inspired by the classic characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte tradition: Harlequin, Columbina, Scaramouche, Pulcinella and Pierrot. Each piece is scored for a different instrumentation—details can be found on this page under the individual titles. The pieces can be performed separately or together as a suite lasting about 30 minutes. |
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fl, cl, bsn, vla; vocal quintet; pno, cb, drums; brass quintet; 4 celli |
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![]() • recording on CD: Commedia Dell’arte > buy CD |
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Ghosts (2015) • duration: 6'30" |
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A mysterious, spooky piece inspired by the slow central movement of Beethoven's infamous "Ghost" Trio, op. 70. Meant as a middle movement between my other piano trios The Aristos and Hexentarot, or as a stand alone piece accompanied by an improvising drummer. |
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vln, vcl; pno (plus improvising drummer if performed as a stand alone work) |
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Ghosts (2015) • duration:6'30" |
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A mysterious, spooky piece inspired by the slow central movement of Beethoven's infamous "Ghost" Trio, op. 70. Meant as a middle movement between my other piano trios The Aristos and Hexentarot, or as a stand alone piece accompanied by an improvising drummer.
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vln, vcl; pno (plus improvising drummer if performed as a stand alone work)
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Merlin (2015) • duration:6' |
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A highly virtuosic evocation of the mediaeval magician Merlin for solo trumpet, juxtaposing rigorous notated passages with extended sonic explorations and elements of improvisation. |
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solo trumpet |
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![]() • recording on CD: There Is No More Firmament > buy CD |
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Pierrot (2015) • duration:7' |
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The fifth in a suite of five pieces inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte. An intense virtuoso showpiece for four celli. |
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four celli |
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![]() get mp3 |
![]() • recording on CD: Commedia Dell’arte > buy CD |
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Pulcinella (2015) • duration:5' |
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The fourth in a suite of five pieces inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte. A delightful miniature for brass. |
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Brass Quintet (2 tpts in C, hn, trb, bass trb) |
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![]() • recording on CD: Commedia Dell’arte > buy CD |
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Scaramouche (2015) • duration:6' |
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The third in a suite of five pieces inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte. “He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.” —Rafael Sabatini |
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solo piano with improvising bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Commedia Dell’arte > buy CD |
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Scaramouche (2015) • duration:6' |
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The third in a suite of five pieces inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte. “He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.” —Rafael Sabatini
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solo piano with improvising bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Commedia Dell’arte > buy CD |
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The Remedy of Fortune (2015) • duration:15" |
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Six tableaux depicting the changing fortunes of romantic love: pain, desire, devotion, hope, beauty, longing, ecstasy, intoxication, frustration, anger and despair. Inspired by the work of Guillaume de Machaut. |
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string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: Sacred Visions > buy CD |
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Blue Stratagem (2016) • duration: 8' |
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A quietly moody abstract work inspired by Agnes Martin's mystical approach to color, shape, line and texture. |
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brass quintet (2 tpts, hn, trb, bass trb) |
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Cagliostro (2016) • duration: 5'33" |
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The controversial 18th century Italian occultist is evoked in this intense miniature for solo viola. The violist uses 2 bows to weave a swirling spell of 4-string tremolos. May also be performed by two violists. |
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solo viola (two bows) or two violas |
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Candlemas Eve (2016) • duration: 6' |
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12 rituals for a Witch's Sabbat scored for 2 flautists and a vibraphonist who is assisted by a second player who is constantly adjusting the speed of the vibrato. |
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fl (piccolo, bass flute), alto flute (piccolo, bass flute); vibraphone and assistant |
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Diableries (2016) • duration:12' |
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An intense virtuoso showpiece for amplified cello with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. |
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cello with improvising bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Azoth > buy CD |
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Freud (2016) • duration:10' |
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Inspired by the work of Sigmund Freud, this mini concerto for violin and two celli explores the strata of dreams, memory and the subconscious and is divided into eleven short movements conjuring various deliria, aetiologies, phobias, neuroses and fixations. |
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vn, 2 vcl |
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![]() • recording on CD: There Is No More Firmament > buy CD |
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Naked Lunch (2016) • duration:12' |
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A wild piece in three movements for vibraphone and rhythm section inspired by the cut-up masterpiece by William Burroughs. |
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vibraphone solo with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Interpretation Of Dreams > buy CD |
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Obscure Objects of Desire
(2016) • duration:10' |
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'Mystery is the essential element of every work of art.'—Luis Buñuel. A study in frustration dedicated to surrealist film director Luis Buñuel.
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piano and string quartet |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Interpretation Of Dreams > buy CD |
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Obscure Objects of Desire (2016) • duration:10' |
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'Mystery is the essential element of every work of art.'—Luis Buñuel. A study in frustration dedicated to surrealist film director Luis Buñuel. |
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piano and string quartet (2 vn, vla, vcl) |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Interpretation Of Dreams > buy CD |
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Praise (2016) • duration:9' |
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Inspired by the paintings of Agnes Martin, this meditative miniature is part of a recent body of work that pairs exactly written material with improvisers who illustrate and elaborate upon it. Featuring a constantly changing array of articulations, dynamics and tone colors, the harp is accompanied by an improvised continuo of live electronics and/or non-pitched percussion. |
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harp solo with improvised live electronics and/or percussion |
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Shapeshifter (2016) • duration:9' |
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A transformative work for solo cello with improvising drum set. |
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solo cello with improvising drum set |
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![]() • recording on CD: Azoth Azoth > buy CD |
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The Exterminating Angel (2016) • duration:18' |
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Inspired by the surrealist masterpiece by Luis Bunuel, this is an expansive piece for solo vibraphone accompanied by an improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. In four movements, played attacca. |
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solo vibraphone with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Interpretation Of Dreams The Interpretation Of Dreams > buy CD |
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Altarpiece (2017) • duration: 6' |
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An enigmatic duo inspired by the paintings of Hilma Af Klint. A vibraphone assistant is needed to negotiate the frequent changes of vibraphone vibrato. May be accompanied by a continuo of improvising live electronics. |
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clarinet and vibraphone with optional improvising electronics |
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Altarpiece (2017) • duration:6' |
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An enigmatic duo inspired by the paintings of Hilma Af Klint. A vibraphone assistant is needed to negotiate the frequent changes of vibraphone vibrato. May be accompanied by a continuo of improvising live electronics. |
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clarinet and vibraphone with optional improvising electronics |
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As Above, So Below (2017) • duration:6' |
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A virtuoso tour-de-force for solo cello inspired by the mystic phrase laid out in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus: "That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing." |
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solo cello |
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![]() • recording on CD: Azoth > buy CD |
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Auto-Da-Fe (2017) • duration:8' |
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A trial by fire for the classic instrumentation of vibraphone, piano, bass and drums. The title derives from the epic early novel by Elias Canetti. |
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vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Heaven And Earth Magick > buy CD |
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Die Traumdeutung (2017) • duration:10' |
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Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo. (If I cannot deflect the will of heaven, then I shall move hell. ) A duo for violin and piano inspired by Sigmund Freud's magnum opus Die Traumdeutung (The Interpretation of Dreams). “The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind” |
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violin and piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Encomia > buy CD |
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Icarus (2017) • duration: 7' |
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A fiery tour-de-force for two trombones with improvised rhythm section! |
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tenor trombone, bass trombone with improvising bass and drums |
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L'Antitête (2017) • duration:10' |
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“Among the thousands of stones hurrying to earth gaping, I took a stone of chance, a fruit of iron and underground gum. She is now on my table. I touch with my fingertips, like an electric shock to the periphery of a heart. A slice of solid imperturbability, a mouth of a skull. The eye could not close its eyelids on the veins of metal. There are plants and stories inside.”—Tristan Tzara |
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Piano solo with improvising bass and drums |
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Palimpsest (2017) • duration: 6' |
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A quirky duo for clarinet and bass marimba that has spiky atonal melodies peeking through a minimalist pan tonal base. Written for clarinet maestro Richard Stoltzman on the occasion of his 75th birthday. |
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clarinet, bass marimba |
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The Unseen (2017) • duration: 13' |
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Subtitled "Music for the Temple" this is a hermetic tribute to Hilma Af Klint, the Swedish artist and mystic whose incredible paintings inspired by spiritualism are among the first abstract art. |
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string quartet |
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00 0 00 (2018) • duration: 6'30" |
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Subtitled The Secret Growing and based on the spiritual ideas of Hilma af Klimt, 00 0 00 is a beautiful miniature for four female voices referencing words from the Latin prayer Ave Maria. |
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four female voices |
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Acéphale (2018) • duration:10' |
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Inspired by the secret society formed by Georges Bataille in the 1930s and subtitled Belle de Jour after Luis Bunüel's cinematic masterpiece, this is a powerful and beautiful work for vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. In three movements that run attacca. |
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vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Heaven And Earth Magick > buy CD |
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Asclemandres (2018) • duration:8' |
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Another quartet for vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section inspired by the imaginary Satanic tome that enables one to “face the light”. Sic Luceat Lux. |
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vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Heaven And Earth Magick > buy CD |
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Descent Into The Maelstrom (2018) • duration:8' |
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A powerful companion piece to Auto-Da-Fé featuring the same classic instrumentation of vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. A delirious and hypnotic descent into the maelstrom! |
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vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Heaven And Earth Magick > buy CD |
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Encomia (2018) • duration:13' |
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A suite of five short pieces for solo piano, each a private tribute to a different musical master. Each movement is between 2 and 3 minutes in duration and each explores a different musical language. 1. Speculum 2. Penumbra 3. Stretta 4. Occultation 5. Arborescence |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: Encomia > buy CD |
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Konx Om Pax (2018) • duration:9' |
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A satanic ballad in two movements for vibes, piano and improvising rhythm section. "It was the radiance of an opium dream—an airy and spirit-lifting vision more wildly divine than the phantasies which hovered about the slumbering souls of the daughters of Delos."—Edgar Allen Poe, Ligeia |
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vibraphone and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Heaven And Earth Magick > buy CD |
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Nachträglichkeit (2018) • duration: 11' |
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"Messages from the High Masters on the liberation from imprisoning form." Nachträglichkeit (Afterwardsness) is a mystical exploration scored for flute and string quartet. |
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flute and string quartet |
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Nachträglichkeit (2018) • duration: 11' |
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"Messages from the High Masters on the liberation from imprisoning form." Nachträglichkeit (Afterwardsness) is a mystical exploration scored for flute and string quartet.
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flute and string quartet |
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Rμν-½gμνR=8πΤμν (2018) • duration: 10' |
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Subtitled "Thought Experiments for String Quartet and Vibraphone" this is a powerful mini concerto for vibes and string quartet. The title is a version of Einstein's field equation for general relativity. |
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vibraphone and string quartet |
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Rμν-½gμνR=8πΤμν (2018) • duration: 10' |
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Subtitled "Thought Experiments for String Quartet and Vibraphone" this is a powerful mini concerto for vibes and string quartet. The title is a version of Einstein's field equation for general relativity. |
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vibraphone and string quartet |
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The Book of the Angel Amaliel (2018) • duration: 10' |
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Automatic writing and sigillic transmissions for five female voices. Inspired by the spiritual work of the artist Hilma af Klint. A mystical journey from primordial chaos to the beyond. |
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five female voices |
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18 Studies from the Later Sketchbooks of J.M.W. Turner (1841-1845) (2019) • duration:50' |
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Subtitled "Images and Impressions for Piano" this expansive suite embraces a variety of styles and forms including études, preludes, color studies, seascapes, moonscapes and nocturnes. A full concert in itself, this is one of Zorn's longest compositions and is a major work for solo piano. |
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solo piano |
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![]() • recording on CD: The Turner Etudes > buy CD |
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A Brief History of Witchcraft (2019) • duration: 40' |
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A five movement suite for a coven of 13 musicians: 1. The Rule of Three (fl, vibes, vcl) 2. In Thunder, Lightning or in Rain (5 female voices) 3. Casting the Runes (pno, vibes, bass, drums) 4. Circe (2 trumpets in C) 5. The Rule of Three (fl, vibes, vcl). |
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fl, vibraphone, vcl, pno, 2 tpt in C, 5 female voices and improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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Casting The Runes (2019) • duration:8' |
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The third piece in the suite A Brief History of Witchcraft, Casting The Runes features vibraphone, piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. A magic spell. |
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vibraphone, piano and improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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![]() • recording on CD: Heaven And Earth Magick > buy CD |
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Circe (2019) • duration: 3' |
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The fourth piece in the suite A Brief History of Witchcraft, Circe is a magical incantation for two trumpets. |
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two trumpets in C |
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In Thunder, Lightning or in Rain (2019) • duration: 7' |
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The second piece in the suite A Brief History of Witchcraft, In Thunder, Lightning or in Rain is scored for five female voices and evokes the opening scene of Shakespeare's Macbeth featuring the three witches The Weird Sisters. |
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five female voices |
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The Rule of Three (2019) • duration: 8' |
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The first and fifth (last) piece in the suite A Brief History of Witchcraft, The Rule of Three (The Law of Return) is the Wiccan law stating that any energy a person puts out into the world will be returned threefold. |
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flute, vibraphone, cello |
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Anima (2020) • duration: 6' |
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Dedicated to the eccentric French composer Erik Satie and completed the anniversary of his birth on May 17, Anima is a charming Ode to Spring. Subtitled "The Waxing Light" it may be performed as a duo, or accompanied by an improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. |
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Bb clarinet and bass marimba |
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Anima (2020) • duration: 6' |
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Dedicated to the eccentric French composer Erik Satie and completed the anniversary of his birth on May 17, Anima is a charming Ode to Spring. Subtitled "The Waxing Light" it may be performed as a duo, or accompanied by an improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. |
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Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Present Itself as a Science (2020) • duration: 19' |
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A sextet for strings inspired in part by Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht. "Magic is not the contradiction to the law of cause and effect, but its crown or nightmare."—J.L.Borges |
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2 vn, 2 vla, 2 vcl |
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Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics That Will Be Able to Present Itself as a Science (2020) • duration: 19' |
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A sextet for strings inspired in part by Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht. "Magic is not the contradiction to the law of cause and effect, but its crown or nightmare."—J.L.Borges |
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2 vn, 2 vla, 2 vcl |
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Sigil Magick (2020) • duration: 7' |
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A Curious and Detailed Exposition of Sigils, Signs and Hieroglyphs Peculiar to the Occult Orders, Hermitic Brotherhoods and Dark Mystery Schools of the Late Middle Ages. For String Quintet. |
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string quintet (2 vn, vla, 2 vcl) |
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Sigil Magick (2020) • duration: 7' |
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A Curious and Detailed Exposition of Sigils, Signs and Hieroglyphs Peculiar to the Occult Orders, Hermitic Brotherhoods and Dark Mystery Schools of the Late Middle Ages. For String Quintet. |
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string quartet and cello (2 vn, vla, 2 vcl) |
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The Gas Heart (2020) • duration: 15' |
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An outrageous Dadaist opera scored for 2 celli and 2 percussionists with selected texts by Tristan Tzara. |
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2 vcl; 2 perc |
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Ab Eo, Quod (2021) • duration: 7' |
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An evocative ballad inspired by the surreal worlds of painter Leonora Carrington scored for soprano, cello, vibraphone with optional improvising drum set and/or electronics. |
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soprano, cello, vibraphone with optional improvising drum set and/or electronics. |
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Liber Loagaeth (2021) • duration: 9' |
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Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus, Deus Aderit—A prayer in Angelic Numbers inspired by the magical Enochian grimoire by John Dee and Edward Kelley. |
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soprano, string quartet |
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Paradise Regained (2021) • duration: 13' |
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A dynamic and evocative trio for vibraphone with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums inspired by Milton's later masterwork. In three movements. |
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solo vibraphone with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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Split the Lark (2021) • duration: 20' |
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"Split the Lark—and you'll find the music—Bulb after Bulb—in Silver rolled" Seven nocturnes for voice and piano inspired by the envelope fragments of Emily Dickinson. 1. And yet we know that gentle Clock 2. Her magic pace 3. Like the Wheels of Birds 4. To our Nature's soft 5. To light, and then return 6. Eternity will be Velocity 7. By that bleak Exultation |
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sop, piano |
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Terra Firma, Terra Incognita (2021) • duration: 10' |
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A dynamic quintet expanding the classic instrumentation of piano, vibes, bass and drums with classical percussion. |
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piano, vibraphone, percussion, with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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The Philosophy of Weightlessness (2021) • duration: 10' |
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A surrealistic fantasy inspired by the paintings of Remedios Varo and Leonora Carrington |
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two vibraphones with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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I Am Your Labyrinth (2022) • duration: 11' |
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Dionysian Dithyrambs for violin, cello, and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums. “A lightning bolt. Dionysius becomes visible in emerald beauty.”—Friedrich Nietzsche |
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violin, cello, and piano with improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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Partita for the Firebird (2022) • duration: 15' |
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A suite for solo violin inspired by Bach and haunted by the ghost of Stravinsky's Firebird. Lyrical, soulful, and mysterious, it is divided into four traditional movements: Prelude-Allemande / Pavane / Courante / Air. |
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solo violin |
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Philosophical Investigations (2022) • duration: 11' |
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A trialogue for violin, cello, and piano inspired by the writings and philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein. |
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vn, vcl, pno |
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Star Catcher (2022) • duration: 11' |
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A surrealistic fantasy inspired by the paintings of Remedios Varo. Flying Owl Woman-Exquisite Corpse-The Fabric of Dreams-Funambulists-Metaphysical Wheels-Enchanted Knight-Witch Going to the Sabbat-Woman with Sphere-Mimesis |
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soprano voice, pno, and improvising rhythm section of bass and drums |
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