Robert Scott Thompson

Piano

Composer's Note:

Polychroma is a work that takes inspiration from the fantasy-impromptu. Created in a free dodecophonic pitch language, the musical surface is at once richly textured, fleeting, and amorphous. One of the main aspects of the composition involves the selective application of sympathetic resonance to color and shape the timbral palate of the materials. The resonance shifts and morphs over the duration of the piece and assists in delineating large-scale formal divisions.

The composition divides into two titled sections: 1) Glimmer and Refraction, alluding to the play of light on water, glass, or metal; and, 2) Linea, characterized by fast scale passages and brief reflections on the materials of the first section. The second section may be heard as an extended coda while the first section has similarities to the baroque rondeau in the episodic unfolding of materials and form.

The work may be performed with or without the aid of subtle amplification (using standard microphones, pzm microphones or piezo pickups). If amplification is used it should be thought of as reinforcement, intended to assist in the clear audition of the sympathetic resonances.