Details

Year: 2024
Duration: 8’
Instrumentation: solo piano
Commissioner: Avery Gagliano & the Curtis Institute
Premiere: Spring 2024, Avery Gagliano, piano

Music in Timelapse (2024)

Program Notes

“Music in Timelapse” is a new work for solo piano written for Avery Gagliano and commissioned for her graduation recital at the Curtis Institute of Music. 

As I began writing the piece, I kept returning to a simple “shuttering” figure on the piano where notes are repeated in rapid succession. The rhythmic cadence of this shuttering quality, coupled with swiftly-paced musical elements, evoked the imagery of time-lapse photography. This photographic technique involves capturing a sequence of frames and presenting them rapidly in succession, creating the illusion that a gradual process unfolds rapidly.

This metaphor not only describes the piece but also reflects on Avery's many years in Philadelphia. Being a Curtis student myself, I understand that a single piece can't capture everything about this place. However, I hope it gives a glimpse of an exhilarating time that can come and go all-too-quickly.