Shipped - Growing Block

Bass Clarinet, Tuba, Bass and Piano; Growing Block universe is the name of a theory with regards to the continuum of time: that past and present exist, but the future does not, which results in a growing universe as time passes. The music does not directly depict any component of the theory. Instead, the work deals with "blocks" of sounds. Because these passages restart several times, one could surmise that the title and the unfolding of the work parallel the theory in the sense that a series of sound-blocks grow by revisiting ideas of the past.

Each movement assumes the name of a different type of "block". The first, "Enchained" expresses the feeling of frustration as small gestural cells become fixated on one note, and cannot progress. Failed attempts at development lead to a protruding note-cluster. In this way, these small cells stay bound to a confined space, enchained.

Anticyclones, known in meteorology as stationary large-scale atmospheric conditions that “block” migratory pressure systems, sometimes result in repeated weather patterns. In this case, nighttime fog. The second movement features dark melodies that slowly circle, hover, and descend through clouds of ethereal colors.

In the final movement, the idea of hindrance is continued; even when a new ideas are introduced. The attempts to break free are short-lived, and are overtaken by previous blocks of sounds. In the end, the movement revisits the stubborn non-progressive one-note material from the first movement, taking us back to "Square One".