Solstice||ecitsloS

Listen to the work here!
 
Solstice||ecitsloS is a minimalist work for solo electric piano, which is inspired by and dedicated to a dear friend of mine. This friend celebrates her birthday on the 21st day of December, which is a notable date for two reasons. The first is that December 21, at least in common thought, is considered the winter solstice in the Upper Hemisphere; the second is that the date written numerically, 12/21, is a palindrome. This gives rise to the work’s title, which is the word “Solstice” mirrored on itself. The title also reflects the structure of the piece, in which the second half is a complete retrograde inversion of the first.
 
The friend to whom this work is dedicated has an incredible heart, and I’ve always felt that she lights up any room she walks into; in this way, she seems to exude an aura of sunshine wherever she goes. This work is inspired by that incredible wonder, and by the sun as it traverses the sky each day. Each measure is repeated in a somewhat meditative way, and as additional notes are added in the harmonic language of the piece shifts as if it were the dancing surface of the sun. The tonality expands to the centre of the work, and then flips upside down across a line of symmetry and slowly sets into the evening sky. The use of the electric piano to create these glimmering ostinati is a further reference to the music of David Bowie written for Jim Henson’s 1986 feature film Labyrinth, which is a favorite movie of hers. I’ve attempted to capture some of the wonder of this amazing friendship with this work.