Eidesis (2025)

for Bb clarinet, alto sax, frech horn, and vibraphone

Premiere:

Premiered at Bang on a Can Summer Festival on July 30th, 2025. Performed by:

Ken Thomson, Olivia Phaneuf, Amber Dai, Riley Palmer

Duration:

5 minutes

Program Note:

eidesis takes its name from the literary device that involves repeating phrases or words to evoke a specific image or idea. It also references a fragrance that I use with the same name. I became interested in translating this repetitive literary tool into something musical, with the purpose of creating an image or sensation.

I was also drawn to Barnabé Fillion’s approach to perfumery, which is informed by his background in visual arts and, in the case of creating Eidesis, the story of Narcissus. Fillion talks about being inspired by the repetitive structures within nature as a photographer, and all the possibilities of what mirroring could be.

In my piece, I found many parallels with these ideas, as well as with my own experience of the fragrance. The scent is woody, earthy, and comforting. It has a beautiful envelope of expansion, allowing one to notice something different each time they return to it. I tried to create this sensation through repetitive structures that gradually reveal subtle details—offering different angles of the same thing.