The Strange Highway (2011)

For cello octet
Duration: 10 minutes
Commissioned by Richard Aaron for the 3rd Amsterdam Cello Biennale

Reviews:

“There’s an uncompromising beauty to these works by the Iranian-born American composer. The opening title work, [The Strange Highway], for cello octet, is a wild, rhythmic ride, while the closing Metamorphosis of Narcissus offers some fantastic musical storytelling. Impressive.”
—BBC Music Magazine

“The Strange Highway, a driving and energetically charged piece for cello octet [is] the highlight of the programme.”
—Gramophone

Program Note:

The inspiration for The Strange Highway comes from the eponymous poem by the Chilean writer and poet Roberto Bolaño, also the author of the novel, 2666.

I was moved by the subtle but potent sense of desolation and vulnerability expressed through the poem’s powerful imagery. My attempt in writing the piece was to capture and recreate these emotions through rhythmic and violent opening and closing sections that engulf a lyrical, emotionally and dramatically charged middle section that uses dense, contrapuntal melodies and rich harmonies.