Train of Thought (2017) for String Quartet and Piano
Recorded by Hahnsol Kim, violin; KJ McDonald, violin; Jacob Vandersloot, viola; Philip Sheegog, violoncello; Fifi Zhang, piano
Program note:
Train of Thought was composed for the generous commission by the New York Choreographic Institute at New York City Ballet. I was very fortunate and privileged to be invited as one of the composers to partake in their 2016-17 season. The roots of this piece began germinating by the conversations I had with the Italian choreographer, Fabio Adorisio and the life transitions during the period.
With a free-flowing, fluid dynamic and a resemblance to through-composed form, the composition was structured mostly around small melodic ideas blossoming in a sporadic manner. As I was on the train getting back to New York City, I had bursts of ideas looking back on some of the memories, that inspired the piece. Scattered ideas and memories creating a train of thought during my train ride back to reality are shown through the loose running structure in the music.