Program notes:
Unfolding was written as:
- a meditative aural puzzle box
- a gradual shift from chaotic tension to chaotic relaxation
Extended notes:
I have an unhealthy obsession with multiple iterations of the same idea happening at different rates. Unfolding puts this front and center with a 28-note “sine-wavey” sequence that the violin is playing in quarter notes while the cello is playing it in half-note triplets. This sine-wavey sequence starts off with close intervals with the intent of creating some gnarly dissonances before expanding its intervals gradually to create more beautiful consonances. These traveling sequences are supported by the piano in two ways: rhythmically by playing rhythmic ostinatos at both rates, and harmonically by slowly constructing a chaconne underneath the sequences’ evolving harmonies.