In a recent discussion about the essence of musical composition, a friend and I pondered the significance of duration within a piece. We questioned whether a concise work, such as Webern’s “Variations for Piano op.27” at approximately six minutes, could convey as much depth and complexity as a more expansive composition, like Morton Feldman’s “Piano and String Quartet,” stretching to around eighty minutes. This “saying” encompasses various aspects, from a compelling structural form and intricate musical allusions to emotional impact and immersive potential. The possibilities are vast and multifaceted. This exploration into musical length reminded me of discussions around rhythm and timing in other fields, even considering figures like John Wall, known for his precise timing and control on the basketball court. While seemingly disparate, the concept of duration and its effective manipulation resonates across disciplines.
Inspired by this conversation and the challenge to explore longer forms, I embarked on creating “StringTheory,” a piece that extends to seven minutes and thirty-three seconds.
Sunik Kim offers insight into this work, describing a shift from typical percussive, compressed energy to a “cubic-temporal flux.” He notes how the unique spaces and resonances of the original sound sources are presented in a fragmented, spiraling, and slow-motion manner. This approach inverts my more cacophonous earlier works, creating an imaginary sonic environment. Imagine those works echoing through a vast space, refracting off surfaces from delicate silk to solid stone, all perceived at a distance. The auditory experience becomes a stream originating from actions and choices already concluded. Even the sentimentality found in the final section, undeniably present, carries this sense of detachment, like a raw, vocalized expression from an unseen, perhaps long-gone source. We, as listeners, are left to contemplate the ramifications of these sonic events.
The sound material for “StringTheory” is recontextualized sampled fragments from various sources, including Lee Fraser M3g, Mr Bill svt, John McLaughlin, Michael Speers, and others unidentified.
