il

il is a piece for String trio written during the spring/summer of 2023, for ensemble Mosaik.

I began by detuning a string, experimenting with the distorted and noisy sound color created by the scordatura.

Using these low, rattling sounds and very high, whistling sounds I tried to create an intense listening experience: of silence, stillness, and sudden activity. I imagine sound as a continual low of energy, only with this piece, the energy is constantly interrupted and distorted.

The end of the piece functions as a blockade wherein most sounds are played as high as possible.

I imagine it as an energetic, almost frenetic standstill in which the instruments are trapped in their highest register.