First performed by Liz Merrifield (violin) and Yuki Hammyo (piano).

shatter (verb): break apart, suddenly and violently.

SHATTER immediately confronts the audience with a dramatic opening climax, with dissonant and expressive fortissimo writing. The violin and piano perform brutal and theatrical gestures, which gradually decay into the following material. The rest of the piece gradually works through the consequences of this opening. This results in a gradual decrescendo of various elements including speed and dynamics, reversing conventional narrative structure by placing the piece’s most energetic and climactic moments within the first thirty seconds. As we reach the end, the material gradually evaporates until we are left in meditative stillness.