Sub-Merge (2013)
For Piano solo with Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Horn in F and Bassoon, in two movements. 7 minutes.

Premiered on January 28, 2013 in NYC by Decoda’s Wind Quintet DZ4: Brad Balliett bassoon, Alicia Lee clarinet, Alma Maria Liebrecht horn, Arthur Sato oboe, and Richard Carrick piano.

Score available from PSNY.

Program Notes:

Sub-merge creates an imaginary scenario where the musical composition and instrumental sounds undergo sonic distortions metaphorically related to the physical experience of being underwater. Imagine physically floating inside chaotic waves and currents; experiencing the instant shifts and conflicting pulls from extremely fast to sluggish.  Similar distortions are reinterpreted for the piano and winds, creating contorted ensemble textures and rich resonances that clash with microtonal echoes. 

Musically, there is a harmonic richness between the equal tempered piano and the microtonal winds (often tuned in perfect intervals a quarter-tone off from the piano), as well as the internal conflict between the piano’s layered harmonic worlds (inspired by Debussy’s subtle, often bi-tonal orchestrations). 

Many thanks go to DZ4 members Brad Balliett, Alicia Lee, Alma Maria Liebrecht, and Arthur Sato for their wonderful support of this premiere. 

Commercially released on Richard Carrick: Cycles of Evolution by New World Records.