Sonic Boom 2010

I was very fortunate to have the Nu:BC ensemble perform a piece of mine at Sonic Boom this year.  It’s an extended piece scored for flute, clarinet, cello, and piano called ‘A Perfect Focus’. I’m not really interested in going into a huge diatribe on what the piece is about and why it’s about anything but a serviceable blog topic can be whipped up to shine a light on one of my favorite spots.

The section immediately after the opening is an extended fog for the piano with the clarinet droning notes that sound something like a walk near the water at night.

The section ends on a long winding arpeggio that reaches up to a pregnant tremor on F# and A.  The cello ends up sounding all the more fragile and delicate next to such a brittle sound.  After a playful lilt, a strange atonal chord falls out of the piano like a bad smell and the cello is left alone to set up the build to the extended violence that compromises the middle of the piece.  Click the graphic to hear the excerpt:

Also worth noting is the fact that the Georgia Straight’s review of the concert does not mention me, my piece, or my excellent taste in news publications.