David Sampson

Still

Still for brass quintet was commissioned by the Gaudete Brass Quintet and composed especially for this ensemble. The world premiere took place on October 25, 2013 as part of a live broadcast of the program Backstage Pass, hosted by Julia Figueras on NPR station WXXI in Rochester. The work takes an introspective approach, offering a sonic experience inspired by the first stages of meditation. It attempts to musically depict that special moment when mental restlessness gradually comes to rest. Through fine timbres, wide musical arcs and subtle work with the timbre, a feeling of inner serenity gradually emerges. The music develops from a state of slight tension to a sense of temporal suspension, in which rhythmic and melodic points of orientation increasingly dissolve. This process leads to a deep calm - a living silence in which every sound finds its place in a space of serenity and conscious perception.