Commissioner
Solideo Quartet | Heather Beckman: Violin, Joshelle Conley: Violin, William Satterfield: Viola, Jun Lee: Cello
Program Notes
The inspiration of Parasomnia comes from my fascination for dreams. The concept underlying the piece is based on sleep disorders called parasomnias. Parasomnias can occur while falling asleep, during stages of sleep, and during arousal. Common parasomnias are nightmares, night terrors, sleep paralysis, sleepwalking, confusional arousals, and rhythmic movement disorder (headbanging).
The beginning of the piece sets an eerie atmosphere. Trills and artificial harmonics create a mysterious and haunting sound world. Following the opening section, the music moves to a passage with long sustained notes marked with no vibrato. The static nature of this passage portrays sleep paralysis. The long descending lines beginning at rehearsal letter D depict a common theme of nightmares, the feeling of falling. The short dyads marked with aggressive attacks beginning at rehearsal letter E, portray a sleep disorder usually associated with young children. This particular parasomnia called rhythmic movement disorder, commonly known as headbanging, is a condition where children may violently bang their heads against various objects. The pizzicato lines at rehearsal letter G represent sleepwalking, while the build-in accelerando that follows could be associated with the feeling of being chased. After various passages that deal with common themes of nightmares associated with physical aggression, confrontation, being pursued etc., the passage beginning at rehearsal letter K signals the end of sleep with emphasis on a triadic harmony. The stability that the major triad provides is immediately shattered with hexatonic lines and eerie artificial harmonics in the segment labeled as “confusional arousal.” In this passage of deceptive resolution, I seek to convey the feelings of confusion and disorientation that are associated with this particular parasomnia. The segment labeled as “awake” reintroduces the major triad and restores stability, signaling the transition from the unconscious back to consciousness. The ominous passage that brings the piece to its conclusion reflects upon the lingering traumatic after-effects of parasomnias and the long-term health consequences.