Unspoken

Program Notes

Unspoken (2012-20) is a collection of solo viola miniatures written off and on over many years. The movements of the work were each written succinctly in a matter of a few days, almost like little journal entries. The notion of "unspoken" refers to a sense of energy, or emotion, or time - some force that can push and pull, or ebb back and forth freely, without necessarily being spelled out explicitly. Whether in conversation with another, a moment experienced in nature, or when reflecting while in a specific mindset, we sometimes find ourselves in these episodes where an unspoken mood or affect seems to capture the moment. These movements try to grab onto the beauty of those moments, if only briefly, before they are gone. - Daniel Temkin