Inside a stone (2022)
Solo Piano + Live-Electronics
PURCHASE SCORE (pending publication)
PROGRAM NOTES
Inside a Stone was commissioned by pianist Jesse Myers in 2019. The piece was part of a set of works by several composers, with the only requirement be that the pieces be inspired and evocative of a particular place in Washington State (to be determined by the composer). This piece was inspired by a beautiful, small river in the Methow Valley. It has become the home waters of the composer, who has spent many years, hiking, swimming, and flyfishing in this river. All of the stones used in the making of this piece were collected in this place. Secondarily, the poet Cass Mahlin, a young friend of the composer, penned the verse above after a trip to the river. This became the touchstone for the piece, which attempts to evoke what it might be like to listen to sounds and music from inside a stone.
Inside a Stone
To go inside a stone would be
amazing. No responsibilities or work.
To listen to the roar of a nearby river, the
silence of the bottom of the ocean, or
the birds chirping in the meadow. To have no
worries and no being late to anything.
To fill the inner walls of a stone with
charts, maps, and pictures. The peacefulness
and calming sounds would make the stone
feel like home. To rest or think all
day with no interruptions. Until hands
pick you up and place you in their
pocket for luck... I would love to
go inside a stone. Then I could
sit and think about the world around me.
—Cass Mahlin, age 10