interpolate

for piano trio, premiered by Sirkku Helin, Derek Louie and Ignacio Ojeda Romero, at St. Francis Auditorium, Santa Fe, NM, 7/14/23.

interpolate, for piano trio, uses the abstract idea of interpolation that’s implemented when converting analog audio to digital as a point of sonic inspiration. Glissandi are used to interpolate between different registers at the start that eventually morph into fractalized versions of themselves in natural harmonic glissandi. The piece then becomes pointillistic in its texture, exposing coarse sound blocks that have been otherwise smoothed over until then. It is inspired by the writings of the late Mark Fisher and his idea that the act of play smooths over the struggles and aberrations caused by late capitalism. As the piece progresses, this “smoothed-over” surface is eventually revealed, exposing the delicate structures barely holding themselves upright. As the piece nears its end, the veil tries to drop down again to attempt to conceal these jagged edges. However, now that the truth has been revealed, all that’s heard are the fractalized and “imperfect” harmonic glissandi.