Sparks (2020)

I. Full Steam Ahead

II. Morning Drowsiness

III. Consistently Inconsistent

for Eb Alto Saxophone and Piano

duration: 8 minutes

for Hypercube Composition Lab

Charlotte New Music Festival

2020

Program Notes

The train and bus trips between NYC and Boston have been routines for me during the past decade since beginning school at NEC in 2012. I always have mixed feelings about these rides, particularly their on-time performance and speed. However, the ongoing health crisis in 2020 disrupted these patterns as I find myself in the uncharted territory of being completely static and pedestrian in one place and, quite frankly, missing the rides.

"Sparks" is a fantasy focusing on the train routes with my memories as the roadmap, and each movement depicts a specific portion of the journey. I can probably simulate the actual tracks with "surgical precision," minute to minute slicing between cities and landscapes due to my frequent travelings.

I. Full Steam Ahead (NY Penn-New Rochelle)

What could be more exciting than hearing the bells and whistles of steam locomotives even though the ones currently in service are electrically powered. Nevertheless, I always thought a Flying Scotsman was pulling the Northeast Regional while the Acela trains are powered by blazing fast Mallards. Don't be fooled; these steam machines' speeds are more in line with 3G than 5.

II. Morning Drowsiness (New Rochelle-Stamford)

The initial freshness quickly fades away with seemingly endless tracks ahead. However, all one can do is sit back and relax and try to enjoy the passing landscapes displayed on the "4k monitor"-the window. Motion smearings are often, and a stable 60fps refresh rate is a joke, not because of moving too fast but probably only because my "GPU" eyes might not work so well in the early mornings.

III. Consistently Inconsistent (Stamford-New Haven)

This portion, along the Connecticut shorelines, filled with rampaging delays, ongoing track maintenances, and one-way tracks created by seemingly never-ending upgrades, makes heated emotions a constant guest. Dramas are at their high peaks, so are blood pressures. Ironically, this is the normalcy I desperately want back at the moment. Why? Just ask 2020.