written for the Rhythm Method Quartet

Recorded live at the NYU John A Paulson Centor

Duration: 8.5 minutes

Program Notes:

“Sospira” is the second installment of my pieces that use and develop musical material from the Italian Baroque composer Bernardo Pasquini (1637-1710). In combing through Bernardo’s vast output of music, I was blown away by the aching beauty of the aria "Sospira e lagrima" and arioso "Ahi, che duolo, che martire", both from his Passion Oratorio La sete di Christo (1689). Both of these feature a gesture of text painting, in which the melody gently descends, imitating a sigh. I chose this gesture to sit at the core of my own work, which ties together various musical contexts, all united in their sighing contour. As the piece grows and unfolds, the gesture finally reveals itself in its original form, quoting Bernardo’s breathtaking arias. I see this work as an evocation of Bernardo’s lamenting spirit, which I have greatly confided in, in moments of grief and healing.