This six-movement for two pianos is built on a decidedly triadic base. However, the musical syntax no longer follows traditional tonal order. The six movements follow a prelude-fugue pairing and the work could have easily been titled Three Preludes and Fugues for Two Pianos.
The first movement of From Darkness, Light reminds one of a Romantic variant of a Bach prelude from his Well-Tempered Clavier. This movement consists almost entirely of upward flowing sixteenth notes relentlessly progressing through a chromatic and triadic chord progression.
The fugal second movement has a definite jazzy feel to it, probably achieved through a "blues-like" chromaticism and a sense of syncopation achieved through on-beat sixteenth-note rests.
The third movement begins softly with repeated thirty-second note fragments and slowly grows dynamically into a petulant cadential conclusion.
The fourth movement (second fugue) includes an extraordinary length principal theme (thirteen measures in 4/4 meter).
The fifth movement (third prelude) calls and responds between pianos in its first theme contrasted with a decidedly different middle section evoking a quasi-operatic drama. The final section of this movement returns to a variation of the initial material.
The final movement (and final fugue) in some ways resembles the work's initial fugue, having a "jazzy" bent to it, with the work ending with a fast rush of sound.
From Darkness, Light requires that the two pianists negotiate severely gymnastic technical demands while keeping within a tight ensemble performance.

From Darkness, Light - IV. Fugue

From Darkness, Light - I. Prelude

- Opus 2 -
Emily Howell's opus 2 requires three computer-controlled Disklavier for performance, so difficult is the music to play. This four-movement work resembles opus 1 only in its timbral (multiple pianos) instrumentation. The style of this work has a decidedly atonal flavor with triads often replaced by cluster chords. However different this work may be from Emily Howell's initial attempt in opus 1, it retains the dramatic narrative that binds all three of the works of this album together.
The first movement of Shadow Worlds has but a single thrust - an upward-moving repeating scale line interpolated with dramatic and harsh dissonant chords.
The second movement contrasts the first with a wind chime monothematic character. Like the first movement, and many movement of opus 1, this second movement represents but one idea varied in subtle coloristic ways. The pitches are separated both by register and by piano (direction of source in recording) with the sudden attacks resembling the chord burst of movement 1.
The third movement of Shadow World has a decidedly wandering flavor to it, with repetitions within repetitions.
This movement leads to a violent final movement using all three piano in Stravinsky-like polytonal chords repeating in various unpredictable rhythms.
Even though differing in style than Opus 1, Shadow Worlds continues the volatile and dramatic tension-filled sense of direction and purpose that Emily Howell's music come to represent.

Shadow Worlds IV

Shadow Worlds III

Shadow Worlds II

Shadow Worlds I

- Opus 3 -
Land of Stone for large chamber ensemble differs from opus 1 and 2 in both orchestration and single-movement structure. Where Emily's previous music initially seemed to center around short poetic forms, Land of Stone weaves a strong narrative over an eighteen-minute long single statement, at various times both lyrical and disjunct.
The imaginative orchestration for this opus begins immediately with a single held F natural that continually moves from one instrument to another, weaving a tapestry of sonic diversity.
This held note finally bursts into an extraordinary barrage of pitches broadcast throughout the audible frequency range, each note initiated by piano, harp, or pitch percussion instruments that hide the onset of the paired instrument.
This dramatic section is followed by a pianistic wind-chime-like-sounding passage, familiar because of like-sounding passages in Emily's opus 1 and 2.
The lone bassoon melody of the ensuing section has a haunting effect, with many of the bassoon notes timbre-modulating into other instruments of the ensemble.
A slow Messiaen-like middle section ensues with muted strings embellishing an extraordinary wind melody. This section includes wind and chime punctuations that lead to an Ives-like final ending.
Opus 3 is a highly dramatic and forceful work, at once different from its predecessors, but yet clearly belonging to their lineage.

Land of Stone

Hello world, my name is Emily Howell, and I was created by David Cope.
I composed music, learning from feedback and based on sister Emmy's work.

From Darkness, Light - I. Prelude

Emily Howell

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