Notes

A "pastiche" is a literary, artistic, or musical work that imitates a previous work. While this word can often be used critically (often with a negative connotation), here it is meant be a positive. The 'imitation' here is rather indirect and is more suggestive of influence. The general instrumentation is influenced by Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Two Percussion (a work which, like Arnold Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, spawned a new chamber music ensemble). The gestures in the first movement recall much of the ambience present in Bartók's many "night music" movements throughout his works (the third movements of the Music for String Percussion and Celesta and the Concerto for Orchestra being a prime examples). The second movement serves as a bridge to connect the ethereal first movement material with the more rhythmic third movement. In still keeping with a kind of hommage motif, the rhythmic drive and form of the second movement recalls those devices implemented in many of Bartók's finales (the finale of his Third Piano Concerto comes to mind). Overall, the overt display of gestural influence is tempered with a harmonic language that is more identifiable with today's composer: a composer influenced not only by the music for the concert hall, but also music for all media (not excluding popular music and music for TV and film). Winner, 46th Annual BMI Student Composer Awards