Commissioned by Eugenia Zukerman for the 2016 Clarion Concerts in Columbia County and written for Ed Arron and Jeewon Park. 

In Elegy (Axis I), the cello and piano do not engage in direct conversation. Instead, the two instruments interact simply by sharing space, like two people passing through a room, stoically entering and leaving in opposite directions. Still, each person’s presence influences the actions of the other. For example, the cello often emerges out of the resonance of the piano. The wavering quality of the cello line, oscillating and sliding around unison pitches, in turn begins to unravel the piano part, whose stark bell-like tones gradually descend and accelerate into a sparkling texture. Hence, the “axis” is this structural crossing of instrumental textures, which invert over the course of the piece.

Techniques of amplification are pervasive throughout the work. Accumulated masses of sound— from piano clusters held with the pedal, to cello unisons, tremolos, and slides— all convey a sense of overwhelming emotion. Despite the general atmosphere of grief, there is an underlying bittersweet quality that is fully revealed by the cello solo at the end.