I wanted to write a series of pieces that approaches music as the structuring of events in time, rather than the structuring of sound events in time. Implicit in this effort is the move away from the use of abstract, purely “musical” events and towards the use of actions which carry extra-musical signification alongside a certain (commonly thought of as “secondary”) aural result. As well, this approach explores the interrelation between aural and visual phenomena in order to create a temporal experience for the audience member.
With this particular work, I was contemplating the reasons for attending a live performance of an acoustic work, particularly in an era where many performed works are available in an idealized recorded format. One of the personal reasons I found for my attendance of concerts involved the degree of effort exerted by the performer; the virtuosity of the struggle though the final performance, clues of a long process of preparation.
I wanted to explore this idea further, by exaggerating the physical efforts required by the performers. The physical exertion, perspiration, and appearance of fatigue are treated as a musical motif running through the work, and are meant to create a visceral experience for the audience.