Esoptron (Cello and Marimba)

Esoptron was written in response to Peter Randall-Page’s sculpture Granite Song and the original Greek word ‘esoptron’ means ‘reflection’ or ‘a mirror not made out of glass’. This is reminiscent of the mirror image that is created by the two halves of Granite Song and the two identical patterns found within the sculpture. The material of the piece also reflects this through small phrases mirroring each other between the cello and marimba. The combination of the percussive sound of the marimba and the cello’s pizzicato and staccato passages are sonic representations of the hardness of the granite sculpture.