‘Gyri’ are the intricately packed ridges on the surface of the brain. The word has the same etymological roots as the term ‘gyre’, meaning a whirling vortex or spiral. These images of packed density and whirling energy provide the impetus for the types of musical gestures driven by an almost soloistic piano part. Harmonies contract and expand, permutating patterns flicker through the textures, and lines intertwine, form and reform around the piano’s insistent oscillations.
This work was commissioned by and premiered by the Ensemble Reconsil, conducted by Roland Freisitzer, with funding from Victoria University of Wellington.