Sam Wu: Glass Terminals (2024), sonata for oboe and piano [SCORE]

0:00 i. transience
3:08 ii. aria
7:26 iii. hub

https://www.samwumusic.com/glass-term...

commissioned by Courtney Miller (‪@oboecm‬), as part of her "Postcards from Six Continents" project

Courtney Miller, oboe
Alan Huckleberry, piano (i, ii)
Suzanne Polak, piano (iii)

"Glass Terminals" is a reflection upon airports as liminal spaces. Terminal interiors (especially more recent airports) are designed to help passengers navigate their way from check-in counters to boarding areas. Glass aesthetics predominate––a means of easing travellers’ claustrophobia, and a way to introduce natural lighting. The passengers, particularly those in-transit, are in a state of “limbo;” neither here nor there. As a result, airports exist in dynamic equilibrium, with people constantly commuting to and fro, flying in and out.

The music explores these aspects of air travel within three distinct movements: “transience” focuses on the dynamic equilibrium of transiting passengers; “aria” is a meditation on theprocess of waiting at a boarding gate (while also paying homage to Baroque adagios); “hub” is inspired by the complex networks of inbound and outbound flights, as well as bus, train, and highway connections between airports and their respective cities.

#piano #oboe #sheetmusic #architecture #airport #glass #newmusic #sonata