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Program Notes
Mirrors’ material comes from my Harp Concerto (2021), which I wrote for Juan Riveros. Mirrors operates around a seven-note aggregate—convenient for the harp. This aggregate is activated in various ways, with diverse timbres, and the notes are played in different orders throughout the piece, shaping a variety of contours and forms. Throughout the performance, I think of the player as carving themselves into the harp or, alternatively, extracting themself from its wall of resonance through selective muffling/filtering.
Mirrors explores symmetry and reflection (asymmetry), both structurally and emotionally. The title suggests doubling, a duality, yet the piece blurs the distinction between subject and object, between the performer and the instrument. In this music, the performer is both sculptor and sculpture. At the heart of Mirrors lies the concept of reflection—some sections are fast and pulsating, while others are meditative and contemplative. There is a great deal of rhythmic flexibility in certain parts, allowing the performer to shape time itself, which plays into the idea of self-sculpture.
Mirrors is dedicated to Juan Riveros, without whom this piece would not exist in its current form. I am eternally grateful for all of his help, patience, inspiration and dedication.