In Medias Res

written for Chromatic Noise Collection

In Medias Res is an analogue data experiment. I wrote the piece after spending some time in the hospital for a complication from a fairly common illness. I noticed that the process could make an interesting musical form, so I used it as the starting point for this composition. I tracked the different aspects of the disease and the medical care (pain levels, pills, doses, doctor visits, etc.), which I then translated into sounds and instructions for the four players. This way, I created a graphic score for harpsichord, saxophone, violin, and live electronics. Unusual is the position of the climax, which happens in the first half of the piece—which might be quite common in the course of diseases but less so in musical compositions.