Piano Trio (piano, violin, cello). Premiered February 11, 2014 in Montpelier, VT. Jennifer Choi-violin, Yves Dharamraj-cello, Stephen Gosling-piano.

The Matterhorn Comes In Gabardine

I Am Tired is dedicated to the memory of Jean Stabell. She made a living as a financial officer for non-profits but more importantly she was an award-winning photographer, a published poet, and a fierce advocate for equal/human rights; she was also my aunt.

The last artistic project she completed before her death combined a photo of a tin cutout of an American Indian paddling a canoe with a photo of beautiful bright white peonies; that project was either titled Going to Valhalla or Carry Me to Valhalla. Either way, it led to the composition of my piece. In Nordic legend Valhalla is a mythical fortress that is home to warriors who have perished in battle and indeed, her battle is now over. In the 1960’s she lived and worked on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho. The fact that she included the image of an Indian chief paddling a canoe combined with the Valhalla reference is noteworthy; I imagined a great warrior (perhaps even Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce who in his time boldly decided that there had been enough fighting and opted for peace) giving her a lift to her home in the afterlife. Much of the musical material of the piece is informed by traditional Nez Perce music, the hymn 'A Mighty Fortress is Our God' and Richard Wagner’s 'Entry of the Gods Into Valhalla'. 

Performance:
Roger Zahab
Saint Peter's Episcopal Church
New York, NY
October 11, 2014

I Am Tired

Performance at VCFA, Montpelier, VT, February, 2015
Nuiko Wadden - harp
Beth Meyers - viola
Kelli Kathman - flute


Come, Let Us Roam

First performance at VCFA, Montpelier, VT August 2014
Jennifer Choi - Violin
Cornelius Dufallo - Violin 
Lev 'Ljova' Zhurbin - Viola
Yves Dharamraj - Cello
David Cossin - Marimba


Fat Purple Figs

"Friends Are Calling, a meditation on the December 14, 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School" is a multimedia piece for percussion, film and fixed audio. The piece includes a film of the composer’s daughter decorating a Christmas Tree on December 15, 2012 in their Sandy Hook home located only yards from the school, a film of a reconstructed window from their home, a fixed audio track, and live percussion. The hours, days, weeks, months and years after the shooting provided horror, confusion, uncertainty and disquietude for all of us; living in the shadow of this tragedy provided a unique perspective from which to consider the weight of such an event as we all strive to live our lives fully and fruitfully. The piece contemplates the duality that we all face, cultivating domestic tranquility while living among horrifying tragedies whether they be a stone’s throw from one’s front door or halfway around the world.  The spare percussion playing foreshadows, echoes and responds to the fixed audio track and to the film; it culminates in a contemplation of the opening phrase of the hymn I Cannot Think of Them as Dead.

ChristopherBreault

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