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about

al momento, written for cellist Kelley Mikkelsen, was composed and realized in the Center for Composition with Electronic Media at the East Carolina University School of Music during the first months of 2002.

When I began work on al momento I set about writing much of the cello part as I also sketched ideas for the ‘tape,’ as if writing a duet. And, as in any duet, I tried to create sounds, rhythms and textures which would bring the two parts—live performer and fixed, pre-recorded tape—together in as interactive an experience as I could design. As a result, just as there are moments in this piece when the cello may seem indistinguishable from tape sounds, there are also moments when the two parts are quite distinct.

The title of the work came out of a broad-ranging conversation I had with Ms. Mikkelsen in which, among other things, we discussed the nature of great performance, of composition—of life in general—and agreed that the key seemed to be a frame of mind in which one is truly “in the moment.”

Perhaps the most important thing to know about this piece is that I had an enormous amount of fun in writing it. Each day I awoke with the excitement of a child with a new toy, eager to get to the studio and play with sounds. I found the process of writing this piece to be tremendously cathartic as the sense of interaction between tape and cello—the spirit of fun, play and expressiveness—helped me experience each moment al momento.

credits

from Addressing Wonder: The music of Ed Jacobs, released March 19, 2021
Christopher Gross, cello

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Open G Records New York, New York

Open G Records is an independent classical record label based in New York City. We strive to assist the exceptional artists on our roster in making records that tell their stories on their terms. Our artists enjoy unprecedented freedom in the production of their art, and co-own the resulting product in a profit-sharing structure. We hope you enjoy this wonderful music and thank you for listening! ... more

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