Shifting Sands (2014) – ca. 8'
piano and electronics
Premiere performance
Dzovig Markarian at Meng Hall in Fullerton, CA (October 24, 2014)
Dzovig Markarian at Meng Hall in Fullerton, CA (October 24, 2014)
Additional performances
Derek Wang (2020), Humay Gasimzadeh (2017), Jamila Tekalli (2017), Masami Miyazaki (2017), Nicole Wakabayashi (2015), Andrew Kraus (2015)
Derek Wang (2020), Humay Gasimzadeh (2017), Jamila Tekalli (2017), Masami Miyazaki (2017), Nicole Wakabayashi (2015), Andrew Kraus (2015)
PROGRAM NOTE
Shifting Sands constantly wavers unpredictably between the distinctive strands of Western and Arabic music, seeking to fuse the evocative, other-worldly sound of the "maqam" (scale in Arabic) within a Western scheme and tonality. The structure of the work is influenced by "tarab," the Arabic word for a continuous state of musical ecstasy. One of the main ideas of the piece involves an undying, repetitive pulse from the piano that sets up an uninterrupted framework for the passage of roving scalar runs that dance all over the piano. In an abstract sense, that music is akin to the monolithic presence of the vast Arabian deserts as a backdrop for the hundreds of thousands of nomads that have traversed their ancient sands.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
2 loudspeakers, 2 high-quality microphones, Audio Interface, Headphones (or Earphones), and Computer running MAX 7 or higher (free download available here).
AWARDS
2015 ASCAP Morton Gould Winner