THINGS THAT ARE BIGGER THAN US (2023)
2.2.2.2 | 4.3.3.1 | timpani + 2 perc | strings (min count 12.10.8.6.4)
Percussion instrument list: 2 Suspended Cymbals, Bass Drum, Glockenspiel, Tam-tam
The creation of this work has been generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts
THINGS THAT ARE BIGGER THAN US
Program notes
There have been many occasions where I had been awestruck by things in this world that made me feel small and insignificant – Things that are bigger than us was inspired by one such thing – the night hum. I find myself drawn to the traditional romanticism of the night, the mysticism and poetry of it all. While star-gazing a couple nights, I started hearing a drone-like noise, low, and somewhat machine-like, that caught my attention.
This white noise serves like a little reminder that even while we sleep, the world does not stop.
In this piece, I try to convey that feeling of vastness that I experience looking at the sky at night – long drone like lines obscure a melody trying to manifest itself from a seemingly very distant place. The drones create a somewhat desolate environment. The piece culminates in a romantic outburst – and the night takes over again.
