works
Catharsis
Instrumentation 1: 2(2nd picc.).2.2.2/4.3.3.1/Timp/4 Perc/Hp/Strings
Instrumentation 2: 2(2nd picc.).2.2.2/4.3.3.1/Timp/3 Perc/Pno/Strings
Duration: ca. 11'30"
When showing the draft of this piece to numerous people (including my mother to whom it is dedicated), they seemed to have many different definitions of the title. In fact, I was trying to think of a nifty-sounding Greek word to be used as a title (I've previously used the medical term "Anaphylaxis" for the same reason), when I heard "catharsis" on television and rushed to my dictionary. Turns out "catharsis" refers to an emotional release, a feeling of satisfaction, or the purging of emotions through Greek tragedy (says Aristotle) or through the revelation of repressed memories (says Freud). My personal favorite definition, however, is the one listed last: a cleansing or purging of the bowels.
Needless to say, I was not thinking of that last definition when engaged in writing this piece. In fact, I was thinking of no specific word at the time (though, in retrospect, "catharsis" has turned out to work quite nicely), only a vague outline of feelings: a small, lonely melody traverses an increasingly dangerous musical landscape until it eventually becomes free in a final, chaotic battle. To generate that musical landscape, I incorporated a number of unusual and far-fetched tone colors, drawing from such diverse sources as Japanese taiko drumming, Tibetan monastic alpenhorns, American rock and electronic music, and a fair amount of Stravinsky.
The piece begins with a theme on the solitary flute, accompanied by near-pointillistic figures on the other woodwinds, as if the melody were being refracted through shattered glass. As the melody continues, the brass and percussion rudely break in, with a vast dissonant chord based on an eleven-tone row, and pounding, irregular rhythms, hints of the misfortune that is soon to befall our noble theme. After further development of both the theme and a scale based on those eleven dissonant notes, the chord and percussion break in a second time, now with the full orchestra behind them. The music almost doubles in speed with the introduction of a percussive, barbaric motif on the tuba and trombones. Eventually, the entire orchestra becomes a percussion instrument (including the strings), with complex, intersecting polyrhythms.
After a massive halt of the orchestral machine, the strings gradually build into a rhythmic groove. This is then used as the foundation for an exploration of the polytonality in the main theme, with overlapping chords creating an ever-denser atmosphere. The return of the eleven-tone scale and low-brass motives continue the buildup until the strings slice through with a return of the main theme. The theme is repeated in different instruments until it eventually diminishes into a solo flute (as in the beginning) backed by ethereal strings and bowed vibraphone. The finale begins with a transformation of the eleven-tone scale into an heroic clarion call. This is heard behind the main theme, seeming to indicate an inevitable happy ending. However, the low brass and percussion return with their barbaric rhythms, engaging the main theme in combat. As the rhythm becomes more driving and various orchestral sections vie for dominance of the tonality, it is uncertain how everything will turn out. In the end, though, it is a noble Bb-major that prevails.