Meridians
Judith Shatin
About this work:
Meridians (1988) was inspired by the energy flowlines that are used in acupuncture. The composition builds on expanding and contracting lines with sharply contrasting qualities: the delicately focused motion of the first and third sections versus the explosive outreaching of the second and fourth, the last culminating in a wildly energetic burst.
The qualities of energy flow also suggested exploration of certain timbres and the shifting quality of these sounds as they move through the clarinet's changeable register. These timbral explorations include microtonal inflections, multiphonics, and sung resonances projected by silent trills that change the shape of the vibrating air column. All of these techniques were explored in collaboration with David Niethamer, for whom Meridians was composed and to whom it is dedicated.
Year composed:
Duration: 00:00:00
Ensemble type: Solo instrument, non-keyboard:Clarinet
Instrumentation: 1 Clarinet