human v. nature

for violin, viola, cello and piano

Year: 2023

Length: 10-70 minutes

Instrumentation: violin, viola, cello and piano

commissioned by Cacie Miller and friends

Program Note:

human v. nature musically grapples with the ceaseless conflict between humankind and the natural world, through polytonality, and the natural pull of the major seventh in a major seventh chord. I’ve always felt a romantic sadness to major seventh chords, as I often do for the natural world. While the theme is quite dark, there is a sense of optimism in the fact that beautiful sounds can come out of the combining of two distant tonal centers. My sincere thanks goes to Cacie Miller for commissioning this work, and for the larger project of challenging composers to make the best of a climate crisis. -SA

Part 1: 10 minutes

Part 2 (optional): 20-60 minutes

Performance History:

World Premiere: Fall 2023 (Cacie Miller and friends)