2.2.2(II=bcl).2(II=cbsn). 4.3.3.1.perc(2): I=sus. cym/vibr/Tam-t. II=glspl/ BD. Str (14.12.10.8.6). c.11’, 2020

Stratus began with the concept of a sound mass—a large, sonic texture where independent voices blur into one another, masking individuality. The analogy between the sound mass and a large amorphous cloud is often used, and ‘Stratus’ naturally came to mind. The term comes from the Latin prefix strato- meaning ‘layer’ and is the name for a low and continuous cloud formation—the kind we see on an overcast day. It was this idea of ‘layer’ that inspired the form of the work. Individual lines of sound slowly emerge, accumulate and transform into a clearer musical scene that ultimately expands and descends into a dense mass of sound. The combination of slowly unfolding textures and musically unified moments reflects a balance I often seek between stasis and flow, and ambiguity and clarity.

While these more abstract ideas informed the development of the music, I often returned to the image of the stratus cloud—a continuous form that diffuses light, with varying gradations in density.

Listen to an excerpt: