Instrumentation: Solo bassoon and piano
Duration: 9’00”
Program Notes:
Dueling Realities is a story about the conflicting, yet omnipresent, states of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, depicting the juxtaposition of the severe and unexpected changes the world had to take to adjust to the pandemic with the seclusion, simplicity, and oftentimes monotony of being stuck indoors for months on end. The piece explores these incompatible frameworks through an interplay of two unique styles.
The first style conveys a feeling of chaos and uncertainty through its primary focuses on rhythm, fragmenting and repeating short motifs to create disorienting meter changes. The second style is more restrained and characterized by slow moving and lyrical melodies and a larger focus on harmony to illustrate the isolation and reflection experienced during quarantine. This section also features a constant 7-note ostinato that is manipulated through mixed meter and polyrhythmic material to create a warped sense of time (just like we all experienced during this year).
A huge thank you to Joseph Swift and the rest of the consortium that supported this project and entrusted me to write my first extensive piece for the bassoon!
Chris Evan Hass, Composer 