Program Note:

Estimated Delivery is a solo piano piece consisting of four movements, commissioned by my dearest friend Tomas Feng. As I have worked with Tomas several times, I was aware of his technical strengths, and this work was created to showcase such abilities. Inspired by the four stages found in online delivery of Papa John’s pizza, the movements are named after each one: “Making”, “Baking”, “Boxing”, and “On Its Way”. First, “Making” imagines the process in which the pizza made. With kinetic scale runs that represent the sprinkling of shredded cheese, motifs that imitate the stretching of the dough, and quick range shifts that embody the tossing and throwing on toppings, each element found in this movement embodies the composition of the pizza itself. Next, “Baking” animates and personifies the pizza—the oven as a bedroom, a chamber of comfort, rest, warmth, and darkness. As the oven door closes, a lullaby begins. Tis second movement is lyrical and paced. Third is “Boxing”; this movement again continues the personification of the pizza, and imagines the pizza box as a casket. To symbolize this in a recognizable mode, Chopin’s “Funeral March” is taken and reharmonized—the rhythmic and melodic lines, as well as the phrasing found in Chopin’s piece is kept the same. Lastly, “On Its Way” represents the delivery car. This movement is heavily energetic and pattern oriented, depicting the countless yet routine stops the driver must make to deliver. Eventually, the piece abruptly ends, only envisioning the tale of delivery and nothing more.

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– Nicky Sohn