ASCENT: TWO PERSPECTIVES (2011)

Ascent: Two Perspectives is a two-movement work. Each takes a different approach to a simple idea: ascent. The first is called Concave and somewhat Brownian. This movement ascends slowly in the beginning and more rapidly as it unfolds. This ascent is continually interrupted by smaller ascents, each with ensuing descents that return them to the original register from which they depart. The second movement is titled Convex. Variations. It, too, is build from a single ascending figure but this one ascends quickly in the beginning and slowly in the end. This figure is repeated 12 times. Each repetition adjusts timbres, tempos, and articulations, amongst other parameters to create a series of different views on a simple convexly shaped ascending gesture.