Program note

Trap is about the paradox of being trapped by a sense of freedom.
The piece gradually develops two key areas, D minor and B-flat minor,
without ever expressing preference between the two, spreading thin the
listener's focus. In addition, a large proportion of the work is spent
exploring different ways of simultaneously playing on multiple
strings. This has a similar effect as the harmonic ambiguity, severely
limiting the path of both the player and the listener. Multiple
directions are suggested throughout, but, by trying to keep them all
open, the piece boxes itself in. In a climactic moment the double
stops converge into unison, and while this fleeting glimpse of clarity
quickly gives way to double- and triple-stopped playing as before,
there is a new focus on tonicizing D minor, the first real decision of
the piece.

Performances