sift for pierrot ensemble and percussion (2021)

Instrumentation:

Flute/Bass Flute, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Piano, Percussion, Violin, Violoncello

Duration: ca. 8' 30"

About the piece:

sift explores the gesture of filtering, and is inspired by the process of equalization during sound recording. I attempt to recreate the effect of adding different filters using acoustic instruments. The piece starts with a bed of white noise, which forms the baseline texture, in which pitches are gradually filtered and heard. Eventually, this results in an equally-spaced microtonal chord, which then undergoes various transformations and transpositions, before receding back to the initial texture. As the noise fades away, a last burst of light and energy concludes the piece.

First performance: 

October 2021, Peabody Conservatory, Baltimore, USA

Performed by:

Talea Ensemble, James Baker (conductor)