SINTHOME (2005)
for chamber orchestra
The music in sinthome evolves around two different trajectories divided into two different instrumental groups. Strings follow a directional form throughout the piece while winds have a circular form. The occasional meeting points briefly reveal the harmonic unity and rhythmic alignment of the two parts. Harmonic evolution of each part also follows two different concepts: Topological and non-topological. Topological continuum stands for a continuous transformation by stretching and compressing, on the hand non-topological means discrete transformations by addition and substraction. The two other instrumental groups, brass and percussion have mostly a role of making a link between strings and winds. Only brass occasionally presents a different musical layer.
The piece is modeled after Lacan’s theory of knots, more specifaclly his concept of topology as a way of exploring the interactions of the three orders: the symbolic, the real and the imaginary. Sinthome is the fourth link in the knot, which binds all the orders together.
This piece is written for Alarm Will Sound and dedicated to them.