obstenmelodie (2023)

Solo piano
Duration: 6’

Commissioned by Tomoki Park and Lynn Conservatory of Music

Premiered November 29, 2023 at Kozerthaus Berlin, Germany
presented by Building Bridges: András Schiff presents young pianists

obstenmelodie was written for my friend Tomoki Park as a companion piece to J.S. Bach’s Duet No. 2 in F major (Klavierübungen), from which is proceeds attacca but need not. Obstenmelodie is an inaccurate but sonically chewy translation of “little-grape-song.” I think of this piece as a kind of sweet-and-sour musical snack wherein the player is invited to juxtapose long, sustained melodic lines (stems) with playful, punctuated clusters (grapes) using the sostenuto pedal, which sustains certain selected notes while others remain unaffected.