Seeking harmony (2021)
Instrumentation: piano 4 hands
Seeking harmony was written for the 4x5 Duo during the Oregon Bach Festival Composer Symposium in July 2021.
The piece begins aggressively, with a dark and static dissonant cluster chord that is repeated over and over by one of the pianists. Soon the other pianist joins with a contrasting rhythm, gradually adding to the dissonance. Suddenly the cluster chord dissolves into two contrasting parts. At first these two parts sound very divided and chaotic, with no recognisable harmony. but gradually their interaction becomes more consonant, as they search for harmony, both internally and externally.
“He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe”