to sink, slowly, into the silvery sea

For piano, violin, and various objects

Duration: c. 6 - 10'

Commissioned by Sippapas Thienwiwat for a Thai premiere.

Conceived March 2024

World Premiere: 4 April 2024, Hatch Recital Hall, Eastman School of Music. Performed by myself.

For performance inquiries please contact lertwatt.pun@gmail.com

to sink, slowly, into the silvery sea is an open and improvised performance and must be worked through with the composer before any programming.

Program note:

Roaming throughout the waters of the Earth and reaching unfathomable lengths, whales are majestic giants that communicate with otherworldly sounds. The great whales tower over life in the ocean and contribute as guardians against climate change through the sheer amount of carbon they capture from the atmosphere. Despite their mystical presence, now more than ever, many species of great whales are on the brink of extinction. Commercial whaling directly kills large portions of the whale population. The warming oceans affect the availability of their habitats and food. Most importantly, our ever-expanding industry scars every facet of the whales’ lives, staining their blue sea with an unwelcome hint of grotesque silver. Their sounds, their calls, their voices, their cries—hopelessly drowned out by the commotion of our trivialities—left there to sink, slowly, into the silvery sea.