Poem

About

'Poem' is a striking yet engaging piano work for three players that seeks to utilise as much of the piano's sound producing capabilities as possible. The work integrates extended piano techniques into it's narrative. These include harmonics, knocking the frame, muting the strings, drawing the fingernail up the string and plucking and strumming the strings directly with a guitar pick. It also includes a loosely directed improvisatory section which calls for all three players to play all the white keys on the piano with their forearms while improvising on the black keys. The work finishes with a relentless, driving rhythmical section that culminates in a four-hand ascending glissando that calls for the treble player to move round the back of the piano stool in order to play their finishing triple forte bass chords.