La Scène Miniature (2009)
Duo version - for piccolo and cello. 7 minutes.
World Premiere on May 10, 2009 by Carin Levine and Rohan de Saraam. US Premiere on September 23, 2013 by Hotel Elefant, Katie Cox and Carrie Bean. Broadcast on German Radio SWR2 on September 23, 2009.
Published by and available from PSNY.
Program Notes:
La Scène Miniature refers to the crucial scene in Albert Camus's l’Étranger, where protagonist Meursault's impulsive action unleashes a series of unforeseen consequences.
This tormented murder scene takes place on a beautifully calm Algerian beach, beginning with a man on the rocks calmly playing the same three notes on a flute over and over as the protagonist approaches. How can music capture the external beauty of this scene, (the wind, sea, birds, and unforgettable sun), alongside the internal conflict both Meursault and his opponent are experiencing (or in Meursault’s case, not experiencing)?
As the title suggests, la scène miniature is a descriptive work condensing narrative events of an imagined opera scene into shortened instrumental passages. Quite different in approach to my recently completed Flow Cycle (where musical ideas evolve, transform, and reappear from one composition to the next over the course of an hour), la scène miniature does away with development in favor of capturing precise musical moments.
The piccolo’s lyricism and joviality (beginning with the three repeated notes) are contrasted with the cello’s glacial soundscapes in very high register (representing immovable nature) and, eventually, descending into the lowest range of the instrument to depict the internal struggle of the human spirit.
Additional Links:
Interview of Richard Carrick about this work with Hotel Elefant