Trade Clause
for flute, viola, harp, and live electronics
Length: 11 minutes
Composed: 2007
Commission: The Fens Trio
Premiere: May 2, 2008. The Fens Trio. Boston, MA.
Program Note: When I was asked to write for flute, viola, and harp I felt myself very much in the shadow of Debussy’s famous work for this ensemble. In order to make the ensemble more my own, I decided to add live electronics. I use the electronics to create a noisy and distorted sound world that is controlled and manipulated by the instruments themselves. In this way the instruments can play very harmonic, idiomatic material while simultaneously controlling a contrasting electronic sound world.