trio for 2 violoncelli and percussion
7 minutes
Program Note:
ERSTICKEND is about overwhelming experiences that do not appear dangerous until it is too late. The extremely quiet and whispy cello material is a blur at first, constantly shifting back and forth across the ensemble, and is difficult to follow or make sense of. By the time the cellists' material comes into focus, it has already reached the point of near collapse. This process continues, like digging further into a whole, until it cannot continue any longer.
A note to the Performers: Extremely quiet and light bow strokes are crucial to the beginning of the piece. Instances of clear and comfortably audible note production should be a rarity, focusing instead on the extremes of the bow (from whispy and extremely quiet, to extreme pressure). Careful attention should be paid to keeping exaggerated pressure within dynamic constraints (even when quiet). Attention to dynamics/timbre and forward momentum are the most important aspects of this piece. While pitch and rhythmic accuracy is ideally desired, it is secondary to energy, momentum, dynamic, and timbre.