*this work has not yet been premiered
Program Notes
One of the hardest lessons for me to learn in this practice of composing has been that the greatest creativity comes from learning how to hit every mark perfectly — and then letting that tightly wound control begin to slowly unravel. The title (a portmanteau of the words “unravel” and “revelation”) is just that — that unraveling leads to surprising revelation.
The piece utilizes everything from the most tightly-wound trills that hold together unstable, shifting sonorities, to oscillating passages which unfurl into open-ended recitative, to emergence of mellifluous melody in surprising places. The process of unraveling is rarely linear, and neither is the journey of this piece — sometimes glimpsing that first moment of revelation can catapult us backward into tension — or forward into beauty.
Performance Notes:
The melodic framework of this piece comes from three different Hindustani raags (a raag is a collection of pitches, but also has a lot of other aesthetic information). Raag Vibhas (1-b2-3-5-6-8) makes up some of the most tense material in the piece. Raag Pratiksha (1-2-3-5-b6-8 – the ‘flat’ quality of 2 and 6 is simply reversed from Vibhas) feels so mystical and otherworldly. And Raag Hamsadhwani (1-2-3-5-7-8) opens into warmth.
ICA consortium members: survey link is available here.
unravelation was commissioned by the International Clarinet Association with the generous support of a co-commissioners’ consortium
Recording
(forthcoming after premiere)
Audio Guide
If you are a member of the ICA consortium, please contact us for the audio guide.
Premiere/Performances
This piece will be premiered in July 2026.