Roots
A Bass Clarinet and Vibraphone Duet
This piece is meant to reflect on and celebrate the strength and stability of a vibrant cultural, ancestral and spiritual heritage (roots). I wanted this piece to not only represent my own Bulgarian roots through meter, mode, and style, but also to convey this root system as actual tree roots. I’ve endeavoured to convey the nature of these roots musically, arriving at a relentlessly assertive, active and spunky type of music. My roots are bold, wild and quirky… they represent to me a fearlessness and security… a lively and almost childlike courage and confidence rather than a quiet reassurance. Visually, I imagine tree roots growing and reaching and travelling down and outward at great speed and intensity, then resting for brief periods (as in natural tree growth).