Between Two Drops, with its slow ambient sounds, examines what a physical experience might be like between two events when interpreted audibly. Whether those two events are physical such as being shot or between emotional states of anguish the sound focuses the listener to hear what is not present in the actual event only what is felt.

Between Two Drops

LA PLUIE

Marco Lucchi : field recordings, Mellotron (tenor sax), synthesizer and piano 

5 luglio 2020

Cante jondo (a walk in the park, listening to John Surman's reeds)

Departure

Tema Triste

AUTOUR C

Caprice No. 7

The seasons are changing, everyone goes and goes quickly
As if nothing had happened, it still repeats
I should have cherished many memories

Holding a bouquet full of chest, the photo of shy smile, but it's hazy
I will collect the colorful pieces that you left behind

The sky is blue and transparent as if nothing had happened

A flower that dances in the wind, holding my breath and slipping through my extended fingertips

Many nostalgic remnants will disappear one by one
I'll hug you the faint pieces of prism that you left behind

Holding a bouquet full of chest, the photo of shy smile, but it's hazy
I'll hug you the vivid dream pieces I drew with you

Prism

and it comes like a piece of light through the dust, for solo bass clarinet.
Premiered by Chuck Furlong.
Verdant Vibes Concert Series, December 2020.

Read more about the piece: https://micheleabondano.com/2020/11/24/and-it-comes-like-a-piece-of-light-through-the-dust/

You can buy the score on Babel Scores: https://www.babelscores.com/catalogs/instrumental/5470-and-it-comes-like-a-piece-of-light-through-the-dust

and it comes like a piece of light through the dust (2018-20) | Michele Abondano

smarca

Smarca

a string quartet is like a flock of birds (2020) 
nine meditations and dances for string quartet

Commissioned by Kinetic Ensemble in Fall 2020

Performed Nov. 1st, 2020
Kinetic Ensemble - Textures of Change
Live Oak Friends Meeting House
Houston, TX

I've been thinking a lot recently about togetherness and apartness; how while we grieve and reckon with the collective trauma of the pandemic we've been isolated from one another, but at the same time we're still struggling to find new ways to connect. And in a certain sense, a string quartet epitomizes these ideas: it's a coming together of disparate things, fusing solo virtuosity with a more communal, receptive way of playing. All four parts are equal, and each player has to be both a follower and a leader. And I've also thinking about how wrong it feels to be creating something slow and somber to be performed now, when a return to music-making should really be a cause for joy and celebration. a string quartet is like a flock of birds is structured in 9 interlocking movements, with slow, reflective meditations alternating with fast, rhythmic dances. The whole quartet is focused on the musical idea of togetherness: the 4 parts fit together like a puzzle, and only when all the parts are fit together do melodies emerge. Each section in the piece is about the players slowly finding each other: sometimes overlapping, sometimes drifting apart into different kinds of motion, circling around each other like birds in flight. 

https://www.paulnovakmusic.com/
https://www.kineticensemble.org/

Image: Photo by Daniel Biber

a string quartet is like a flock of birds (2020) for string quartet

Paul Novak