Intuitive Geometry
ensemble clarinet, violin, cello, piano
written spring 2021
duration 6-7 minutes
Moroccan Capriccio, by Mokha Laget
Commissioned by Copland House for CULTIVATE 2021
Dedicated to and based on the work of Mokha Laget
Selected in the 2023 Civic Orchestra of Chicago Call for Scores
I first met Mokha at an artist colony during the worst of the coronavirus pandemic. We both felt extraordinarily fortunate to have been given the opportunity to concentrate on creating art during such an exhausting time, and as such, we both spent the majority of our residencies working in our respective studios. It was only in the tail-end of Mokha’s stay that I finally got to see her work.
I was instantly enthralled. Her paintings possessed an appealing immediacy through their scale, whimsy, and vibrant contrasts. They were frequently unpredictable - trying to follow any one particular shape, I would quickly lose my place in a sea of impossible geometries. Even so, when I stepped back to consider the whole, Mokha’s paintings nonetheless felt cohesive and organic. We spoke then and there about collaborating, eventually deciding that I would write a new work based on her Moroccan Capriccio.
The resulting piece, Intuitive Geometry, seeks to capture the same kind of mercurial yet self-consistent discourse that defines Mokha’s resplendent art. Filled with whirling arpeggios, mixed meters, and restless modulations, the piece is one of constant motion. Should any listener try to follow any one particular instrument, they might quickly become lost. Yet even as ideas ricochet between the members of the quartet, the piece strives to maintain congruence by drawing virtually every gesture out of the same motif: an unevenly oscillating third.
It was delicious fun translating Mokha’s kaleidoscopic architectures into music, and I am truly grateful for her friendship and artistic generosity.