Shadowbox

Notes on Shadowbox: I like terms with multiple meanings. For instance, shadow boxing in the most literal sense suggests boxers sparring with their own shadows to train. We could also think of the mid-century American artist Joseph Cornell's surrealist juxtapositions of sentimental artifacts in his hauntingly captivating shadow boxes. Deeper still, the Jungian archetype of the "shadow self" comes to mind; the dark desires and thoughts that manifest their own personas when we unconsciously reject them from our images of ourselves. 

I explore these three notions in the three short movements of Shadowbox for two violas. In the first movement, Encounter, the Shadow lurks in the background behind the conscious Self, represented by Viola II's sound heavily suppressed with a metal practice mute. Gradually the Shadow emerges, reaching equal footing by the end of the movement. This leads to Sparring, in which the Self "fights" with its own Shadow, in a partially improvised game of imitation and wits. Finally, in the hymn-like chorale of Reconciliation, the Self acknowledges and accepts the Shadow, incorporating it as part of a richer, more authentic self-identity. 

This work was commissioned by Music At Angel Fire and is humbly dedicated to my friend and mentor, violist Toby Appel, with whom it was my great honor to premiere the piece.