DESCRIPTION:
Performed live by Mariel Roberts, 'cello, Spectrum, New York City, 4 May 2014.

"A way [tracing] takes its title from the opening line of Laura Mullen's 'The Distance (This),' a poem that is set at the conclusion of the Undersong cycle. The present work opens the cycle. By suggesting multiple possible trajectories, A way [tracing] lays out a network of paths to be taken but does not necessary follow them. The work is also a compression of materials that are unfolded later in the cycle as well as a standalone solo piece. As such, hearing A way [tracing] performed on its own is to experience both an encapsulation of yet unheard musical ideas and a densely tangled skein of textures, harmonies, and timbres that progress rapidly and, often, simultaneously."

www.ensemble21.com
www.marielroberts.com