Length: 3 minutes
Composed: 2021
Commissioned By: Jihye Chang
Premiere: March 25, 2021. Live on YouTube (virtual premiere)
February 25, 2022. Distler Hall, Tufts University. Medford, MA

Program Note: A virtuosic piano etude commissioned by Jihye Chang for her “Boston Etudes” project. Originally premiered online during the Covid-19 pandemic. The piece consists of two distinct layers that act in counterpoint with each other. The first is perpetual motion arpeggios, and the second “noisy” rhythmic interjections. Each layer has its own separate trajectory, with the arpeggios remaining cool and consistent throughout and the rhythmic interjections starting as barely perceptible blips and gradually building into smashing clusters. The challenge in writing (and playing!) the piece is combining these two separate “pieces” into something playable by a single person.

Various metaphors could be read into the piece and its title, which I leave to the listener to decide. I will say though, as I was working on this piece through some of the darkest months of the pandemic it definitely felt as if things were going drastically off the rails.