Blue, Rising

Inspired by existing iconic piano works depicting the motion of water and oceans, this work quotes composers of the past such as Debussy, Ravel, and Liszt. Through a series of small surface transducers placed directly on the strings of the piano, sounds are projected directly from inside the instrument. In doing so, the instrument becomes a symbolic reference to the past not only through the musical gestures performed by the pianist but also through the emerging sounds, quoted from the past that flood out of the instrument. Furthermore, specific frequencies are projected from the transducers to excited the harmonic partials of particular strings. This work was dedicated to Cheryl Duvall and commissioned by the pianist.