X expresses intersections between the piano and electroacoustically transformed sounds. The work is based around a constellation of piano chords whose spectral content is taken apart, transformed and extended into a sequence of overlapping forms with which the piano blends and interacts. A basic underlying idea is to focus on the rich resonance of individual notes or chords as archetypal sound events (one might think of this as the emulation of a bell, for example), which are then elaborated through electroacoustic transformation in conjunction with the textural and harmonic shading of the piano.

The work was composed for and inspired by the playing of Xenia Pestova.

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Premiere

• September 29, 2011, Xenia Pestova Bennett, piano • Concert, Neuadd Powis — Bangor University, Bangor (Wales, UK)

Awards

• Honorable Mention, Category B (mixed work), Musica Nova 2011, Prague (Czech Republic)