For flute, clarinet, and bassoon [3:45].

ɪkˈsprɛs is the International Phonetic Alphabet spelling of the word “express.” The need to express oneself is universal. The piece is divided into two sections. The first section zooms in on our main character – a generic person. The music takes the listener on a journey, starting from a vantage point with an expansive view, to a viewpoint that is so focused that the listener can see into the inner core of the person. The music conveys this through intuitively-chosen harmonies, and varying degrees of horizontal rhythmic density that correspond to different pitch registers. The second section conveys an energy swirling and growing inside of the person. The energy swells and augments until it bursts out of the person in an act of expression. Then in the ensuing calm, an energy is born inside the person. The cycle to express begins again.

Performances

May 4, 2015. Grand Lobby, Moss Arts Center. Blacksburg, VA. Premiered by Alex McLean, Cassandra Hanson, and Amy Gillick.