Almost May - Theme and Variations

Backstory:
Years ago I wrote a simple piano piece for my students. As instrumental music can fully exist outside the confines of words, it can be difficult to find the right title for something that is pure sound and possibility. I took inspiration from the time of year in which I had composed it and stamped it, “Almost May”. Like springtime in the Northern Hemisphere, “Almost May” unfolds slowly and majestically, with ever-evolving layers for the senses to discover.

What to listen for: Theme
The main theme is first presented by the piano with minimal fanfare. This part was written to be easy enough for a child, which despite being sparing of notes, delivers rich harmonic content. Every note has been carefully curated for the optimal combination of accessibility and depth. Weaving chromatically into distantly-related keys, the melody takes small steps into contrasting musical spaces. In a wordless procession, the storyline plays out, as if the theme discovers that someone very different lives next door, and they slowly become inseparable. The piano is accompanied by an airy touch of brushes against a snare drum, like the pitter patter of soft feline steps. In the low frequency range, the upright bass supports and deepens the tonal palette with its earthy underpinnings.

What to listen for: Variation I
The unmistakable string section arrives like a breath of warm air. Lush, warm and reassuring like sunshine on your cheeks, the string parts begin with long tones. This broadness and stability will evolve into more layers of complexity throughout the section. While the role of the string section is background accompaniment, it undergoes textural changes which allow for some layers to briefly rise to the forefront as melody. Careful listening to the string parts will reveal an oceanic churning, a motion from background to foreground with expansions and contractions along the way. Floating overtop this density is the improvised piano solo, with ascending gestures that progress in detail and density. Each instrument enters a general unfolding and growth period in the first variation. The bass and drums include more fills than before, as the ensemble tends gradually toward more grandeur.

What to listen for: Variation II

The final variation opens with a decadent treatment of the melody. What was initially expressed by a soloist as a childlike plea is reimagined as a two-part conversation between the piano and lead viola. The obbligato voiced in the viola is a derivation of the melody that holds the space between phrases so the listener's attention is passed seamlessly between the piano and viola part. This dialogue features commentary on the original melody in the form of ornamentation and taking surprising pathways to expected destinations. The rhythm section (bass and drums) takes more liberties in creating a verdant soundscape as the ensemble rises to a final climax.