Commissioned by: Festival Breaking the Waves, with financial support from the Netherlands Fund for the Performing Arts
First Performance: Pepe Garcia and three members of ensemble Klang, May 14 2011, Theater Kikker, Utrecht
Instrumentation: Soprano Saxophone, Electric Guitar, Piano, Percussion & Sinewaves
Duration: ca. 9’
Special Features: Performance requires sound engineer, click-track, stopwatch monitor on stage and amplification for all musicians.

Score samples

Listen/Buy: Ergodos on Bandcamp

Info/Program note:
Phrase was written in April 2011 for the ensembles Flexible Music and Klang and was premiered during a three-day Festival devoted to my work. The work takes as its departure point the idea of single lines of differing phrase lengths, which are looped over the three attack instruments and are accompanied by a much slower line for the Saxophone. The piece is set against a slowly moving sine chord, ascending 3⁄4 of a minor second by the halfway mark and then descending again to its original position. The tessitura of Phrase is set in relatively high position, allowing each attack to stand out against the sine chord as little, distant stars, flashing briefly before fading again. The piece plays a slight game with tempo-perception as the three attack instruments gradually slow down to 1.5 times their original length – and then speed up again for the second half - while the saxophone seemingly speeds up and slows down in the score, but in fact maintains a consistent tempo throughout. Ideally, Phrase should be performed together with Fraction (No. 49).