The Wisher

Commissioned by: Emily Levin, 2017

Premiered by: Emily Levin at Le Poisson Rouge, 2017

When writing a piece, I usually begin with an opening idea or two, and generally, that material develops into the rest of the work. With "The Wisher", however, I decided to work backwards, starting at the end. I wanted to give the listener the sense that the music was leading them somewhere, constantly wishing for some melody that was just out of reach. For that reason, the player begins in total silence, moving her fingers but not allowing the notes to speak. As the piece progresses, the notes begin to sound, and bits of a melody are revealed. The music grows more confident, adding elements of harmony, melody, then rhythm, spinning faster and faster before finally reaching the melody itself. I want to thank Emily Levin for her dedication to contemporary music, and for commissioning the piece.