Blending Forces I

Blending Forces I is the first movement of a series of three short pieces (featuring also clarinet and marimba) originally written as the result of a cross-disciplinary collaboration featuring dance. After its premiere, this movement has always been performed in concert setting (without the dance elements, that is) and as a separate, self-contained piece.

Rhythm takes a central role in this composition and the issue of cohesiveness appears as contrasting gestures (including pulse-less rhythms as well as symmetric, asymmetric, and additive metric structures) are juxtaposed. However, timbre and other elements are progressivley varied in order to propel the piece forward towards an unexpected final section.