Spirare IV (2024) for pierrot ensemble
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet in Bb, violin, violoncello, piano
Also available: version for Pierrot plus percussion (flute, clarinet in Bb, violin, violoncello, percussion (vibraphone and xylophone), piano)
Duration: 8’30’’
Written for and premiered by Ensemble Linea conducted by Jean-Philippe Wurtz
Version for Pierrot plus percussion written for and premiered by Mycelium New Music
Awards and Honors:
34th International Review of Composers in Belgrade Call for Scores, Spirare IV selected for performance at the 34th International Review of Composers in Belgrade, Serbia
NUNC! 6 Call for Scores, Spirare IV selected for performance at closing concert of the conference by the International Contemporary Ensemble
Score Follower Follow My Score X
Cortona Prize 2026, Finalist
Tribeca New Music 2026 Young Composer Competition, Honorable Mention
Program Notes:
The Spirare series is a collection of pieces that explore breath. Spirare IV is the fourth in the series, written during a time when I was having difficulty sleeping and often tried to calm my mind through deep breathing. The piece begins with a relentless, multi-layered texture, where fragmented bursts of activity outline a constantly ascending structure. Within this turbulence, a lullaby gradually begins to emerge as slow gestures that resemble deep, deliberate breaths. At the end of the piece, this lullaby returns, now largely free of the surrounding tension.
Spirare IV is not a depiction of peace, but a search for it. It attempts to navigate through anxiety, tracing a way forward, toward a space where tranquility might be possible.
COMPOSER