afterarise (for soprano saxophone, piano, and amplified resonance)

Abstract

afterarise (written for saxophonist Antonio Jarvey) explores birdsong as a conduit for sonic and ecological reflection. Fragmented field recordings of blackbirds—with various time-stretching and spectral techniques applied—serve as the work’s primary “source”; not as mimetic material, but as a lens for creative transcription and recomposition, revealing micro-structural layers otherwise imperceptible. Extended moments of stillness situate the sparse musical statements in a shadow of sympathetic resonance, drawing connections to the harmonic world of the Beatles’ “Blackbird” (a favorite song of both myself and the dedicatee). Inspired by Pablo Picasso’s line drawings of birds, afterarise ultimately attempts to capture the essence of a natural phenomenon through a multiplicity of perspectives.