DISAPPEARING ACT

Composed: 2024
Commission: Commissioned by Kurt Rohde as part of the Community Commissions Initiative in celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Composers Conference
Premiere: July 21, 2024
Duration: 1 minute
Instrumentation: Viola and Bassoon

PROGRAM NOTES

Composed in 2024, Disappearing Act was commissioned by Kurt Rohde as part of the Community Commissions Initiative in celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Composers Conference.  This was a commission for a one minute work, so after its premiere, I decided to add a second movement which I call Adagio. (The combined work is titled Duo, and can be performed as 2 movements or Disappearing Act can stand alone).
Both movements explore the color possibilities of the combination of bassoon and viola.  Since they can both be blending instruments, in some parts of this work, I tried to combine the instruments in a way that would obscure their individual sounds and create a new sound.  Other sections let each instrument have a solo voice.