elusive peace

Commission: Steven Schick and Maya Beiser, with a grant from the Commissioning Music/USA Program (Meet the Composer, Inc.)

Premiere: Steven Schick and Maya Beiser, March 2002, Merkin Hall, New York City

Length: 16:00

Date: 2001

Instrumentation: amplified cello and percussion

PDF Score

Audio from New World CD

Program Note:

Elusive Peace for amplified cello and drum set was commissioned by Maya Beiser and Steven Schick who gave the premiere in 2002 at Merkin Hall in New York City. The title refers to the tragic struggle for peace in and around Ms. Beiser's place of birth in the Middle East, as well as a more personal turmoil I was experiencing at the time. It is also a somewhat autobiographical work - I came of age musically playing drum set in rock bands, and many of the gestures in the piece come from my physical memory of the instrument, creating a very challenging percussion part! Many of these figures are much more challenging to play when read from a score, than when played spontaneously. I am very grateful to the performers who take on this challenging work.