Tessellations
Flute, violin, cello and piano.2016
Commissioned by the Empyrean Ensemble.
A tessellation is the tiling of a plane using geometric shapes. This piece was inspired by the many handmade tessellations throughout Granada, Nicaragua, where I used to live. Most buildings have beautiful, chaotic combinations of different (often overlapping) tessellated structures: tiles, mosaics, wooden frames, moldings, doors, ceilings, chandeliers etc., each with small imperfections in their design and construction. The result is a beautiful blend between predictability and chaos, geometric precision, human craftsmanship, and deterioration.
In this piece, I use extreme repetition and stretching/contracting of time, proportions and harmonies to mimic these structures and, most importantly, their imperfections. There is a gradual accumulation of ideas as the piece progresses, but everything is derived from the timbre/harmony that results from simultaneously playing and singing through the flute. This gesture, which begins as a glitch in the flute sound, is the harmonic seed of the entire piece. The harmonies that emerge from this technique are similar to sum-and-difference tones.
Performance by Ensemble Spectrum, conducted by Matej Sloboda, at MicroFest Prague:
World premiere by the Empyrean Ensemble: