mallet quartet
6’15”
composed 2019
composed for and premiered by Orphic Percussion
Composer’s Note
Stuck in Loops for mallet quartet, composed for Orphic Percussion, is inspired by the constant dying, restarting, and dying again that occurs in a very difficult video game. The opening gesture represents the starting point in a gameplay loop where multiple paths present themselves. Fittingly, this gesture appears numerous times throughout the work through a musical representation of death and repetition. Each path is represented as a section of music, containing unique challenges for the players to overcome. However, where in a video game trial-and-error is the only possible way to achieve success, in this composition success is inevitable as the work winds its way to a hard-fought conclusion.
