Welcome!

This blog documents the creative processes of composers Craig Biondi, Alphonse Izzo and Aleksander Sternfeld-Dunn as they compose new works for a concert funded in part through Meet The Composer's Met Life Creative Connections Program in association with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Since the posts here chronicle a linear progression of a piece's creation, it is suggested that new readers scroll to the bottom of the blog and work their way forward. Enjoy!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Izzo: The Aesthetic of Uncertainty



I began thinking about and sketching ideas for this project in Feb. 09.  I just counted and I have 121 files from Feb.09 through Nov. 09, and here's where it becomes a little sick; these are all false starts.

Now, I know composers who are clear about the form, length and proportions of the piece they're writing before they even put a note on the page.  I admire this immensely, in large part because I can't do it!  Like Cornell, (see my first post) I need to wander the "streets" and collect bits of ephemera that I think might come in handy somewhere down the road. 

With that in mind, it was only a week ago that I came upon an idea that I think might kickstart this piece.  Why do I think this idea has promise?  I'm not entirely certain, but here are a few thoughts:

The musical language, an old fashioned and quasi romantic sound world, is not one that I live in and this creates a creative tension in my mind.  What does this music represent to me and why did I come up with it in the first place?  How does it fit into what I think I'm trying to say?  Is this idea meant to be a foil of some sort for other musical ideas within the piece?

I have no idea, and with about a month left to compose the piece I've decided to commit to pursuing these questions.  That said, I've chosen to write a theme and variations for clarinet, cello and piano based on this music.  We'll see where it leads..

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