flickering light

ensemble string quartet
written spring 2018
duration 6 minutes

premiered April 30 2018, Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA by Raina Christeson (vln.), Grace Moore (vln.), Zhimin Zhao (vla.), and Robert Hurley (vc.)

flickering light is a sonic portrayal of glimmering embers. Dancing and flitting to and fro with a precarious transparency, the piece takes advantage of the shimmering, glasslike textures of the string quartet's higher regions to create a fragile yet piercing image of a delicate yet resilient flame. The piece is built out of a series of four-note diatonic clusters, and extensively employs polyrhythmic activity to create gentle washes of sound.