Ensemble: saxophone quartet

Duration: 9’

Written: 2020

Commissioned by: Spiro Nicolas and The Elysian Quartet

Program Note:

Life is full of difficult decisions. What school should I go to? Should I live in this apartment or that one? Should I become an artist or an accountant? Each one of these decisions can seem monumental along the way, and as I reach the end of my 20’s I’m struck by the ways in which each decision has affected my life. Writing a piece is a bit like that too. Is this idea better than that one? Should this part come back later or have we heard enough of it already? It can feel as though a single misstep could be disastrous, leaving a puzzled, unmoved audience and a regretful composer at the premiere. Threats | Threads is a reflection on these decisions in life and in art. Certain ideas develop naturally, pulling the listener forward, while others threaten to drag the piece wildly off course.

When I first heard The Elysian Quartet, I was immediately impressed by their flexibility as an ensemble. They play in a huge variety of styles, from thorny contemporary music to baroque and pop with equal skill and expert interpretation. While working on this piece, I heard them perform some pop covers arranged by their alto saxophonist, Damian Cheek. I was struck by the rhythmic drive of those songs and the joy they brought to those performances. In writing Threats | Threads, I wanted to give them something that would showcase both their virtuosity as performers and the heavy grooves of those pop tunes. I want to thank them for commissioning the piece, and I hope that within all the nuances and fast passagework I’ve left enough room for some of that joy.