「관계」 Gwan Gye

flute, timpani, contrabass [2022]

Written for the unusual combination of flute, timpani, and contrabass, Gwan Gye explores the timbral interactions between these disparate instruments in three contrasting movements. These movements, though very different in character, follow two lines of development: time and textural hierarchy.

The piece begins with a movement where the timpani and contrabass function as a unit and play clearly pulsed rhythms. This adherence to strict, chronometric time is contrasted by the flute playing sparse and rhythmically unpredictable passages. However, in the second movement, this sense of hierarchy is broken, with all three instruments playing completely independent of one another. The piece ends with a serene third movement, where time is stretched and the instrumental contrasts are dissolved. The subtle timpani figures create a canvas upon which the contrabass plays harmonics in the same register as the flute, creating a sense of synthesis between the three very different instruments.