Trapped (2021)

for flute, oboe, Bb clarinet, Bb trumpet, trombone, percussion (1), violin, viola, cello, bass

Premiere:

Premiered on October 1st, 2021 at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music. Conducted by Kevin James

Duration:

11 minutes

Program Note:

Trapped is influenced by a dream I had where I was stuck in an old elevator on the top floor. The piece conveys feelings of confinement, stasis, panic, anxiety, and introspection.

The work begins with sharp attacks, agitated music with a very limited harmonic palate that it wants to break out of. It then moves into this spacious, highly anxious sound world that represents the darkness of the elevator shaft below. The music then revisits material from the beginning of the work. Towards the end of the piece, I introduce two repeated chords then introduce a repetitive ascending melody to connote motion but also to create stasis.