(Unperformed)

Play Off Words explores musical storytelling through purely instrumental means- an opera, or play, but instead of singers or actors portraying characters, the instrumentalists play the characters, and communicate to each other through their instrument as if speaking a language we cannot understand. Yet we can perceive a lot of meaning purely through the way words, or musical gestures, are delivered- and thus follow, in some sense, a purely musical narrative. In this piece, the principal characters are played by the solo violinist and the solo marimba player. The orchestra plays multiple roles- both a group of individual characters, its own single character, or an amorphous landscape in which several characters exist. The piece explores this ambiguity of musical characterization- where sometimes it is difficult to tell if the orchestra is scenery or another character commenting on the unfolding drama.

Specific instrumentation details are on the second page of the score.

MIDI Mockup:

For additional information, questions, or parts requests, contact Aidan.