Sometimes Even Music Cannot Substitute for Tears [2025]
For solo violin and small ensemble
Duration: ca. 9'
Commissioned by Thomas Kotcheff for the Sarah Gibson Tribute Concert
For solo violin and small ensemble
Duration: ca. 9'
Commissioned by Thomas Kotcheff for the Sarah Gibson Tribute Concert
This piece was written for Clara Kim at the request of Thomas Kotcheff for his concert in honor of the memory of our dear friend Sarah Gibson. The title, "Sometimes Even Music Cannot Substitute for Tears", comes from the last line of the song "The Cool, Cool River" by Paul Simon. It is a phrase that has haunted me for years, and as I composed, it seemed like an apt way of summarizing how it felt trying to memorialize Sarah musically and convey what she meant to me.
Once when Sarah and I were talking shop and comparing working methods, she said she usually just began writing from the first bar and moving in a straight line to the last. I tend to start in the middle of pieces and work outwards, but for this piece I went "Sarah style", first beginning with some extremely necessary deep breaths and then slowly finding the two notes that would take me through to the end of the piece. I am so grateful to Clara for her collaboration on this piece, and it means the world to me that we were able to come together to say goodbye to our good friend in this way.
Once when Sarah and I were talking shop and comparing working methods, she said she usually just began writing from the first bar and moving in a straight line to the last. I tend to start in the middle of pieces and work outwards, but for this piece I went "Sarah style", first beginning with some extremely necessary deep breaths and then slowly finding the two notes that would take me through to the end of the piece. I am so grateful to Clara for her collaboration on this piece, and it means the world to me that we were able to come together to say goodbye to our good friend in this way.