The word ‘volti’ has many meanings. In Italian, it means both ‘turn (over)’ as well as ‘faces’. But in English it hints at ‘vaults’ (chambers), ‘vaulting’ (leaping/springing) or Volts (the unit of electromotive force). These combined ideas of motion, contrast and dynamism allude to the textural and motivic processes in the piece, not to mention the dramatically contrasting nature of the gestures and moods. There is also the physical act of ‘leaping’ (vaulting?) required by the soloist in order to perform some of the passages, in which composition has become a form of choreography.
Volti was presented at the Asian Composers League Festival 2006, where it was premiered by the Seoul National University Orchestra, Jong-Hwa Park (piano). It was recorded as part of the NZSO SOUNZ Readings, conducted by Ken Young, Jian Liu (pf).