“Atlas...” was originally composed in the spring of 2009 and revised during the fall of 2010. It is an
exploration, for solo cello, of harmonic tension, strength, physical movement, freedom, and structure.
The beginning and end of the piece act as two highly structured, dramatic pillars. These sections
convey strength and physicality and they should be exciting to perform as well as to hear. In between
these pillars is strewn a pliable middle section, in which the performer makes significant expressive
decisions. The writing here is ambiguous enough to allow for a frenetic, biting performance or a
halting, relaxed one.
The harmonic language throughout is highly chromatic, though not atonal. For much of the piece, I
employed a technique said to be frequently used by Roger Sessions, in which I would not allow myself
to repeat a pitch until at least 9 other pitch classes were heard. This forced me to find extended
harmonic colors that I might otherwise have overlooked.
In Plato's 'Phaedo', the image of Atlas, supporting the pillars that hold the heavens up from the earth, is
invoked reverentially as a representation of the divine and mysterious. Why is it that the stars do not
fall to the ground? Today, this question seems quaint, given what we know about the heavens and the
forces of nature. Yet mysteries still remain. We go on, exploring the intellectual frontiers where
questions remain unanswered and, occasionally, marveling at something that is beyond our grasp. In
the words of Plato, we “are all seeking some greater and more infinite Atlas...” to explain things.
credits
from Chambers,
track released February 22, 2011
Petr Spacek, cello
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