V (2015) — Juri Seo (1981)

Solo Vibraphone

From the Composer:

V is part of an ongoing series for vibraphone + x (in this case, x = 0). vi for piano and vibraphone, vii for harp and vibraphone, and vv for two vibraphones accompany this work in spirit. I am particularly interested in the instrument’s long resonance that—with some struggle and inconvenience—can be manipulated to produce a composed decay. All five movements of v start with the same chord, but each has distinctive characteristics. The first movement’s bipolar temperament is a reminiscence of Robert Schumann’s frequent digressions in his piano works. The second is a cute dance movement in binary form. The third is inspired by the second movement of Beethoven’s op. 81a, with its poignant expressions of loss and longing (for his patron Archduke Rudolf, not his lover). The fourth is a “petite” play between “white” and “black” keys. The last movement is a dodecaphonic tempo canon with some distorted flashbacks of preceding movements. V was written in August 2015 for Matthew Geiger.”

 

Annotated by Nathaniel Holman