Time Crunch (2007)
Duration: 5:00
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, cello
Essentially a five minute accelerando, Time Crunch deals largely with the development and compression of its musical materials. Motives begin as expansive gestures and are gradually transformed into a driving rhythmic mass. After an introductory section that features the chimes, a slowly churning ostinato begins, over which a series of violin melodies instigates motivic developments. When the piece reaches its final tempo, all that is left is an arpeggiated version of the original ostinato surging in waves across the ensemble. At the last moment, the bells toll and the piece comes to a crashing conclusion.
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First Performance: April 11th, 2008
Hirsch Orchestra Rehearsal Hall, Rice University, Houston, TX
Students of the Shepherd School of Music; Thomas Hong, conductor
Time Crunch was performed by the 21st Century Consort in Washington, D.C. on April 16th, 2011, with a filmic accompaniment by H. Paul Moon. The Washington Post had this to say about the event.