Rift in the Eternal Time
Neo-Classical. Released December 24, 2000
I wrote this piece of music as an escape from my tracking program. It had been quite some time since I’d worked live on a piano, and I longed to record something with substance and power. The opening stanza of this work is garnished from a D-minor Sonata I wrote years ago, which is in turn based on the Beethoven Sonata No. 8 (Patetica). The free-flowing right hand is written to accommodate the performer, as there are no set limits as to how long the phrase may be carried. It is, for all practical purposes, a phenomenal performance piece.
The waltz sections throughout the work add a slight air of sweetness to a piece filled almost completely with rage and longing, offsetting one another with clarity and style the likes of which I only hope to reproduce someday. It is only fitting that I chose to close the work on a saddened waltz section. The allegro portion of the piece was based heavily on a G-minor prelude written by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the same prelude that Conversations with Sergei was lightly based upon. The thundering piano work through that section is truly a marvel to watch live, and is certainly one of the most difficult piano passages I’ve yet to perform.
The premiere of this piece of music was at a Christmas party hosted by my company, where it was received by a standing ovation by my peers.
My friend Andy summed it up best though…
“Aggressive and powerful minor chords open this outstanding piano composition in a variety of styles reminiscent of the late baroque/early classical period, performed live by the artist. After the dramatic opening, the first movement develops into a gentle rubato, establishing a mysterious and romantic sound, somehow hard to grip yet very emotionally charged. Delicate touches of melody hold your ear, blending with wandering scales that cascade across the piano, while the left hand fills out the sound with arpeggiated chords. The piece then develops a previously unheard regularity of meter with a waltz, gentle at first but rapidly growing in drama and power. This waltz theme is used several times throughout the piece, giving it a nice sense of coherency. Then, with little warning, Jesse Worley attacks the keys, spending thirty seconds returning to a rubato style with dramatic and fast paced play. Flowing melodies intersperse a series of crashing chords, before a powerful and simple break of chords leads into the waltz again, a much-needed moment of calm after the storm. In fact this piece reminds me of the weather a great deal – the intense drama and power, the huge variety in tone and emotional effect, and the overall nature of uncertainty – you never know what’s coming with the next wind or with this composition. Performance is wonderful – Jesse Worley is a superb pianist and the music is made more beautiful by his playing. I often find classically trained pianists lacking – in some ways they seem to be merely translating the written notes onto a keyboard in much the same way as a computer might, leaving the piece accurately performed but somehow missing something. Jesse avoids this, and the whole range of drama and emotion is brought out. Of course, it is always easier to put emotion into the performance of a piece you have written yourself, and Jesse’s love for his music and his instrument is very noticeable in his performance and it makes it an even more enjoyable listen. Simply put, this is a beautiful and emotionally evocative piece of music, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who has ever closed his or her eyes to enjoy a piece of piano music in the past. To anyone who has yet to do so, now is your chance, so go on and discover a whole world of beauty that is waiting for you just beyond the download button.” – Idaho
