Dystopian Suite

Listen to the work here!
 
Dystopian Suite is a suite for solo piano, in five movements. The work is my second
suite for solo piano. This work is inspired by the themes and characters of George
Orwell’s landmark work of speculative fiction, 1984.
I. "Forsaken by Definition": The oppressive party of Orwell's cautionary tale uses
the power of language as a weapon against its dissenters.
II. "Init-tial": From Winston's first ("initial") pen stroke comes the struggle against
power that Orwell intends to convey. Note the intentional misspelling as the
letter sequence “it-tia” abbreviates Descartes' famous "I think, therefore I am."
III. "Only Skylight Remains": Due to the Party's extensive surveillance measures,
Winston and Julia must carry out their affairs when the only light to be found is
the sky, perhaps the only light they can be sure the Party hasn't hijacked.
IV. "Proditiophobia": The Party's torture device waiting for Winston, teased earlier
as "his greatest fear", turns out to be a cage filled with rats, which some feel is
anticlimactic. But what Winston really fears in Room 101 is betrayal, or
"proditiophobia”.
V. "Quasi-Unity": "But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was
finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." One of the
most gut-wrenching endings in classic literature.