Slip
Alex Shapiro
About this work:
Slip was commissioned by Robin Lorentz as a gift for her friend and partner in musical crimes, Kathleen McIntosh. Both women are intrepid and superb musicians who persist in marvelous delusions that the 18th century’s winning combo of harpsichord and violin deserves a repertoire from the 21st, as well. Far be it from me to argue such an inspired position, and so, knowing that my dear comrade Robin can make a violin sing beautifully in every style imaginable, I came up with the idea of giving Kathy everything and anything to play, with the one exception of the baroque styles to which she was so often tethered. I attempted to convert the harpsichord into many other plectrum instruments, including (and not limited to, as will be heard) dulcimer, koto, mandolin, guitar and bouzouki. Throw in some Cuban montuno rhythms for a little variety, and suddenly it’s a world tour for anyone with attention deficit disorder.
This bit of whimsy was written with the intent of giving the two of them something that would be unexpected at the close of their otherwise respectable concerts. Quite ironically, the first few lighthearted measures were written on September 10th, 2001. After the horrors of the following day, Robin called me up later that week and made it clear that given the circumstances, it would be absolutely fine with her if I felt like writing a very serious piece. Thinking about it for a moment, I replied that no, I wanted to continue in this upbeat direction, perhaps as a bizarre antidote for my grief. During the rest of that month, there were times when the television glared silently in the corner of my studio with its constant images of devastation, as I irreconcilably wrote these silly passages. It may have been my way of declaring that to best honor those who have lost their lives, the rest of us should live ours to the fullest extent, for whatever time we‘re given. Just as these musical styles slip suddenly from one to another, life can slip from one reality to the next. As Ram Dass said, be here now.
Year composed: 2001
Duration: 00:09:30
Ensemble type: Chamber or Jazz Ensemble, Without Voice:Other Combinations, 2-5 players
Instrumentation: 1 Harpsichord, 1 Violin