I was inspired by a quote by Arvo Pärt, “Have you thanked god for your failure already”. I found this quote as I was composing this piece, its implications on the future and present made how to move forward with creating this piece so much more fluid.
I was inspired to create a lament for the future using the past. I wanted to create a sense of mourning and longing in the past and uncertainty for the future, I wanted these two elements to twist and walk together, I wanted to create an ethereal instability.
It is said that the most sensitive instrument is the human voice, with this in mind I decided to whisper stretched words, like an incredibly long eulogy, reflective of time.
I wanted to create electricity, which would weave and knit its way though the eulogy, pressing at it – unstable and exciting.
I used a sample of waves washing sand on the beach, reflective of time starting over.
My piece then uses these layers and pairs them with a string section, which to me, is a fundamentally earthly sound – grounding and moving the piece.
The piece then slowly sways, twisting in and out with each element. The chords at the beginning open the way for a huge sounding crescendo of all these elements.