Etudes for Mixed Ensemble started as a set of pieces for the Schubert Octet instrumental combination plus piano. The initial three etudes (All Thumbs, as we do…, and A(u)nti Mazurka) were composed between 2009-2012 for the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin. Composed in 2015 and 2019 respectively, the remaining two completed etudes (petals and revealing) are process pieces that incorporate elements of improvisation into the formal design. The resulting music for these two etudes is far less “rigid and confined” than the exacting nature of the original three etudes. An unfinished sixth etude (sostenuto) will be completely homophonic and explore the ensembles timbre in both the pitched and unpitched spaces. These works try to capture what appears to be the commonly understood idea of virtuosity, and apply it to otherwise inherently awkward musical affects: Clumsiness (All Thumbs), distraction (as we do…), and saturation (A(u)nti Mazurka).
