UnPact
UnPact
(2003) excerpt
John McDonald and Ryan Vigil, piano
UnPact (2003) In 2002 John and Ryan asked me to write a piece for their duo. Initially I had difficulty conceiving of interesting ways for the two pianists to interact. The Winter Olympics were on television at the time and I thought I might get some ideas by watching the figure skaters in pairs. But I found the skaters’ routines rigid, lacking in originality, even tedious. Their strived-for ideal of perfectly controlled interaction induced a feeling of claustrophobia in me. I liked thinking of the pianists as two characters, but wanted them to interact more like real people do. The image of two pianists sitting side by side, trying not to bump elbows or get in each other’s way suggested discomfort, tension, and humor, but also the potential for great power and complexity. Thus John and Ryan’s parts are sometimes harmonious, sometimes slightly out of synch, and sometimes at odds with one another.
