Afterimages - for orchestra (3333—4331—timp+3—hp—pno—strings. Alternate version with 2222—4221—timp+2 available). Commissioned and premiered by the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Ferro in July 2025.
An afterimage is an image that we continue to see even after the object has already disappeared from our presence. This perceptual and psychological phenomenon is often caused by seeing a really intense or bright image, where remnants of the source image can still be seen even as we look away. Many people experience this, for instance, when looking briefly at the sun or an exceptionally bright light and the image reverberates in our retinas. The idea of afterimages is not only a fascinating experiential phenomenon but is also interesting metaphorically; we may experience events in our present that leave residues that linger long after the event. Like afterimages, the way we perceive events after their presence can refract, reflect, or transform the way we view memories as we gain distance. In Afterimages, I play with various sound events and their remnants, playing with how the residues of sounds can evolve and have their own trajectories. The form of the piece itself forms a sort of afterimage; the highly active first half is followed by a more subdued, lyrical section that puts the first half in relief. Afterimages was written for the Aspen Music Festival for a premiere reading with the Aspen Conductors Academy Orchestra in July 2025.
Recording Forthcoming