Program Notes

Inferno is a piece defined by a conflict between euphony and cacophony; harsh and ruthless dissonance followed by lush and tranquil consonance, and vice versa.

This composition is meant to reflect a struggle that I and many others have dealt with before: the imbalance of emotions caused by living with mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. This piece was my way of conveying the negative emotions I felt over the 6-month period I spent composing this piece, as words weren’t enough to describe what I was feeling and experiencing. It seemed like a constant battle, and each movement reflects that idea: Presto’s anger and violence is coupled with moments of clarity and bliss, Adagio con amore’s heartache and melancholy is followed by a more optimistic sentimentality and the movement is finished off with an almost defiant conclusion, and Allegro con fuoco ends the composition acting as a light at the end of the tunnel; it’s a reassurance that beyond the struggle, there is happiness and everything will be okay in the end as the composition ends on a final consonant chord.

18 minutes | 2023

Read the score!