Arioso (2021) grew from a soundscape experience on a humid September night in Tappan Square in Oberlin, Ohio in which a chorus of crickets and the constant electronic beep of pedestrian crossing signals formed an interlocking texture of distinct pitch and pulsing granular noise. My field recording of this unlikely duet between the purity of an artificial pulsing tone and the spatially rich stridulation of insects underpins the structure of the piece. A flock of jackdaws circling in flight near my home just after dawn provides another window on the world of natural sound, supporting the work’s emphatic rhythmic shapes. While the form might be loosely thought of as reflecting the traditional recitative-like ‘arioso’, the title (arioso = ‘airy’) is also intended to be more deeply indicative of the atmosphere of sensual mystery I found with the air set in vibrant motion that night in Oberlin.
Arioso was premiered at St. Ruprechtskirche, Vienna, 13 June 2021, diffused by Thomas Gorbach.

Arioso (2021)

John Fariselli Young