As the dust settles

program note:

I am continually fascinated by the world around me and it often provides the entry point from which I embark into a new piece. This piece is the result of a collaboration between my friend Jeanne-Sophie and I. As we were discussing the prospect of writing this piece, she shared a video she took of massive ice sheets flowing along the surface of a river. The power of the moving ice was immediately humbling. I wanted to express this experience in the piece. The piece unfolds as a meditation. First, on my immediate surroundings where, at certain times of day, tiny particles of dust are illuminated by the sun, revealing their unpredictable but faithful descent. At some point in this contemplation, there is a recognition that the force causing dust to fall slowly around me is simultaneously moving thousands of tonnes of ice along a river. With a new sense of awareness, the piece moves forward in an uneasy and agitated state, gaining momentum until a change of light brings the dust back into focus. The piece returns to an observation of dust, now carrying a new significance.