States of Mind

States of Mind for Percussion Quartet is based on a cycle of three paintings of the same name by Futurist artist Umberto Boccioni in 1911. The three paintings depict different emotional states related to arrival and departure at a train station. I. Farewells The first painting, Farewells, is a scene that at first looks like an abstract jumble of wavy and straight lines. Over time, you start to see the outlines of objects such as a train and station, and eventually uncover wistful faces appearing in the texture. This process of chaos gradually focusing into an emotional statement is the main structure of the first movement, where chaotic unpitched wooden and metal percussion are gradually interspersed with notes from pitched Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylophone, and Glockenspiel, providing a more grounded tonal center by the end. II. Those Who Go The second painting, Those Who Go, depicts a group of people on a fast-moving train. The scene is so dynamic and ever-changing that it is difficult for them to handle the emotional weight of the recent farewell. An incessant, and often overwhelming, rhythm drives the music, accompanying shifts from propulsive Snare Drum marches, through rumbling Kick Drum and Timpani grooves, finally ending up in a warped depiction of a railroad crossing. III. Those Who Stay The final painting, Those Who Stay, depicts a melancholy and detached stasis. The figures in the scene appear physically and emotionally stuck in space. They are alone and helpless. This movement features a stoic and cold Vibraphone solo which echoes the stasis of the figures in the painting. One-by-one, the other performers leave the stage playing handheld metal percussion, leaving the soloist alone to ruminate (wallow?) on their emotional state.