This piece was performed by the fabulous Mivos Quartet at the Dimenna Center for Classical Music, NYC. 

Western ears are very sensitive to certain formulaic chord progressions commonly used at the ends of phrases in tonal music (cadences). In my piece, Many Many Cadences, I stretch the listeners’ perception of cadences by recontextualizing these predictable chord progressions in very fast cells that are constantly changing key and register. These lonely, disjunct ends-of-phrases eventually congeal and transform into new kinds of phrases and sound objects.

Many Many Cadences

unbirth

Choppy: like the aperiodic, unstable, unpredictable, interference-y waves found on lakes and oceans on windy or stormy days.

Choppy was written for the fabulous Splinter Reeds and this is a live recording from their show presented by Indexical in November 2017. I'm planning to revise the piece slightly and make a studio recording in the near future.  

Choppy was commissioned by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund.

Choppy

oct-dec ’17
written for Plus-Minus
ded. to Bryn Harrison, Amber Priestley, Sergei Zagny, Laurence Crane;
Matthew Shlomowitz & Plus-Minus

studio recording
Irine Røsnes (vln), Colin Frank (pc), me (kbd/guitar)

1. 0:00   2. 2:21   3. 7:41   4. 16:28

fp was given by Mark Knoop, Tom Pauwels, Serge Vuille & Kasia Ziminska @ City University

art (clockwise from top left): Joseph Albers — Study for Homage to the Square, 1967; Homage to the Square: SP–IV, 1967; Untitled (from Homage au Carré portfolio), 1965; Homage to the Square: Starting, 1968.

Set of four

Originally aired on DRAMGUNT #26 (31/08/18). Radio Quantica.

https://www.mixcloud.com/quanticaonline/dramgunt-26-by-polido-w-httpdrithcouk-31082018/

@polido 

http://polido.info/dramgunt.html

drith.co.uk #26

Composed in 2019
Live recording by Apartment House at Cafe Oto, London
18 January 2019

Piano Quintet No. 2

Thirst

On my 21st birthday, a good friend of mine cut me off without warning. God knows why she did, but writing this song and putting it together was very cathartic.

Lyrics: 

After five messages, I realised 
You were never going to reply
And you'll be happy to know, I didn't even cry 
At least until I got back home 

Everyone who knew you told me, 
"She was really out of line."
But what good does that do
For my peace of mind
Will you honestly not even try?

I've been holding my breath
For any kind of sign 
That you'd come back and let me know, 
I wasn't a waste of time

So why did you have to go?
And why couldn't you let me know?
It's fine that I'm not the one you need
But at the very least, just tell me 
Why you had to leave 

Did I ever wrong or hurt you?
Did I ever make you cry?
How did I ever make you feel, so unsatisfied, 
That you could just leave me behind?

I've been holding my breath 
For any kind of sign 
That you'd come back and let me know, 
This wasn't a waste of time
But I'm naïve, so naïve to think 
To think you have the maturity to look me in the eye (and tell me)

Why did you have to go?
And why couldn't you let me know?
It's fine that I'm not the one you need
But at the very least, just tell me 
Why you had to leave

So were these past three years nothing but a lie?
Were you just pretending all along?
I thought we had something truly special 
Enough to write a song for you 

I'll try to remember you
In spite of what you put me through
It's time for me to say goodbye
And just accept I'll never know even a reason why (so)

Why did you have to go?
And why couldn't you let me know?
It's fine that I'm not the one you need 
But at the very least, just tell me, tell me, tell me 

Why did you have to go?
And why couldn't you let me know?
It's fine (truly fine) that I'm not the one you need 
But at the very least, just tell me 
Why you had to leave
Just tell me 
Just tell me 
Why you had to leave

Thirst

Mara Pruna