20 east 40 west, for cello and tape (1997)

20 east 40 west is about appositions (not oppositions), most obviously cello/tape, music/noise, stage/audience. The title refers to two routes through Montreal, a place where two cultures exist in apposition, and a place where the cellist for whom the piece was written lived and studied for a time. My wife and I took Route 20 east through Montreal on our way to a honeymoon in Quebec City, then took Route 40 west on the way back. I was in the middle of composing the piece at the time, and the title came as a stroke of serendipity. The tape for 20 east 40 west was realized in the Electronic Music Studios of the Eastman School of Music.

Listen to an MP3 excerpt from 20 east 40 west featuring cellist Andra Lunde.

Listen to the entire work.