Avenoir (piano solo)

avenoir - n. the desire that memory could flow backward

Commissioner: Corey Hamm

Dedicated to: Corey Hamm

Instrumentation: Piano

Premiered by Corey Hamm on August 1, 2022 at the Perugia, Italy

We take it for granted that life moves forward. But you move as a rower moves, facing backwards: you can see where you’ve been, but not where you’re going. And your boat is steered by a younger version of you. It’s hard not to wonder what life would be like facing the other way…

Performance Materials available here: Avenoir Score

Performance Notes:

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1. Accidentals apply for the whole measure.
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2. Foreground melodic lines are conveyed using a hierarchy of accentuating notation; progressing from softly emphasised (tenuto), to accents, to notes with double tails, and arriving at the most strongly pronounced: accented notes with double tails.
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3. The often-present, detailed, mid-register moto perpetuo voice should be played as evenly as possible,
   and reside in the background of the overall sound, allowing the foreground melodic material to be heard clearly.
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4. Notes have been ascribed to left and right hands by the composer, but further adjustments and improvements by the performer are welcomed.
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5. The same applies to pedalling.

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