pound

POUND (1999) Purchase Online

Premiere: May 4, 1998
Duration: 11’

Instrumentation: Piano solo

Program Note:
Pound is in three movements, played without pause. The first movement is meant to suggest the illusion of two pianos. This illusion is accomplished through the use of two simultaneous layers of music. The first is a simple pulse that begins with one note and builds to massive chords by the conclusion of the movement. The second layer is both more complex and more melodic. By separating these two layers registrally, the movement becomes virtuosic not because it of its notiness, but because of the difficulty posed by the wide leaps across the keyboard required of the performer. The overall shape of the first movement is that of an outwardly expanding wedge; it begins softly, with a single note and expands outward to the extremes of the piano’s register, while simultaneously building in intensity and volume until the climactic chords, which bring it to a close.

The second movement is somewhat more traditional, at least as regards its construction. At the outset, an ostinato in the bass accompanies a simple tune in the treble. This combination of melody and accompaniment undergoes numerous transformations, eventually leading to a rhythmically driving climactic passage. A brief allusion to the opening of the movement brings it to a dramatic and exhilarating end.

The final movement is comprised of three basic sections. The first juxtaposes two ideas - sharply articulated chords at the outer extremes of the instrument, and dense, outwardly expanding chords toward the middle. These ideas alternate, gaining in momentum, and lead to a second, rhythmically lopsided but more lyrical section. This too gains in intensity and leads to a final section, closely related to the first, but more explosive in character.

– James Matheson