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Wonderful Musicians New Jobs

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

Hannah Ji - Violin
Jennifer Bewerse - Cello
Sung-Soo Cho - Piano
Chris Herman - Percussion

Half of My Love/Life (2016)

Premiered by Illinois Modern Ensemble, Nov. 3 2017

Crazy Weather (2017)

Mother, I cannot mind my wheel;
My fingers ache, my lips are dry:
Oh, if you felt the pain I feel!
But oh, whoever felt as I?
-- Sappho

Mother, I Cannot Mind My Wheel (2014)

Memorial is a piece for soprano voice, cello and piano. It was commissioned by the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble for its 2018 season. 

Program note
Inspired by one of my favorite works, Dido's lament, from Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, this work gives voice to one of humanity’s most shared yearnings. I’m particularly touched by the moment in which the singer sings "remember me”-- a cry that comes from the deepest part of one's soul. I think about it as a collective cry, because we all have a longing to be remembered. The text used comes from the poem "Song," written by Christina Rosetti.

In this recording: Lindsay Kesselman-soprano, Norbert Lewandowski-cello, Oscar Micaelsson-piano.

Memorial

Poem by Weldon Kees, music and piano Whitney Ashe, Vocals  Vern Woodhead

The Darkness

williampearson@depauw.edu
https://www.willpearsonmusic.com