Inspiration/Expiration

Inspiration/Expiration began as a piece for toy piano and bass. It wasn’t until I finished composing it that I realized the
ideas in it were too big for such a small instrumentation. I then recomposed it for orchestra, lengthening it and expanding
upon its ideas. The most prominent theme in Inspiration/Expiration, in my view at least, is the relationship between pitch level and tempo. This relationship is exemplified through the imitation of a simple electronic process in which an alteration of tempo coincides with a proportional alteration of pitch, like a record being slowed down or sped up. Other key themes in the piece focus on timbre as it relates to gesture, rhythm, and texture.