Axis Mundi
Finished the new piece, Axis Mundi, for the Japanese Wind Ensemble Conductors Conference this past weekend. The piece is a study in intertwined opposites. Mvt. I, Apatheia, is unvaryingly soft, never rising above a p, and opens with around 80 seconds of solo marimba. Mvt. II, Hêdonê, is the opposite – relentless, ferocious, and rarely below f in volume. While I have them labeled Mvt. I and II, I envision them as working in either order, or even spaced apart on a program. They are entirely self-contained works, yet completely related – Apatheia is built entirely from a single chord progression from Hêdonê.
Soon, I hope to get back to Ecstatic Waters, and post both it and Axis Mundi here for perusal.