Klee Connections for Piano, composed in February 2013, takes its title from the connections that are formed between superimposed variants of very simple rhythmic and harmonic figurations. This is analogous to similar juxtapositions of shapes and colours that the painter Paul Klee made use of in his work where interactions between lines or shapes often give rise to configurations that are not deliberately drawn but which are often obliquely, sometimes seemingly unintentionally, representational.
In this work, some of these connections are made intentionally by the composer, particularly in the second part where they are used as means of developing basic material. However, the listener may well perceive – or even impose – patterns that weren’t deliberately composed, but which arise out of the interactions of the elements mentioned above. This is more the case in the predominantly staccato first part where sequence-like passages and cadence-like configurations are often suggested but are, to a greater or lesser extent, ‘coincidental’.
Listen and follow the score here;
Although this work, which explores both the percussive and lyrical sonorities of the piano, is written in a post-tonal idiom, it has little to do with twelve-tone or serial music despite the ‘pointillistic’ feel of the first part.
.
Robert Lennon Musician & Educator 