Harmonic retention for Sinfonietta

harmonic retention explores the multitude of colors that are possible in a chamber orchestra setting, through the lens of cluster harmony. My approach to using pitch clusters is influenced by twentieth-century compositional practice—the cluster can serve as a chord or a scale. Pitches can also be moved up or down an octave, reducing or removing the crunchiness of a cluster. Beyond chords, harmonic retention also uses sound color, pitch sliding, and a nonstandard formal layout (a faster A section, followed by a slower B section). These details are technical and introspective, but they should combine to take the listener on an imaginative, colorful path through an adventurous, abstract sonic landscape.