Souvenir
for solo piano (2012), 9'
premiered by Robert McDonald, Austin, TX
Most of my works are rooted in vivid, emotional memories, Souvenir being one of the most personal pieces I've written. I began composing it the summer of 2012 in Paris, France. I remember sitting by the Seine, paying attention to each breath, feeling the weight of what I knew was coming when I returned home, and heard the opening piano motive in my mind. Each breath, slowly in and out. My mind began to race, darting in different directions, I needed to let this music out. The latter half of the work was composed in the aftermath the following month. The opening section returns after a forceful climax, leaving quiet again in the rubble. Slowly rising, the music reaches for hope. Over and over, rising more until it settles back into the opening motive, fragmented across the full range of the piano. The title is drawn from the piece itself as a souvenir from my travels and the metaphorical souvenirs we take after relationships end.