Time Capsule

Program Notes

Described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “a memory stream in an American vernacular,” Time Capsule (2017) was commissioned by Astral Artists in for brothers Nikki and Timothy Chooi. Shortly after I began composing the piece, I stumbled on an old picture in a childhood memory box, where I held my two younger siblings on my lap. This inspired the composition's title and structure, as I envisioned a piece where dialogue, memory, and evolution would play central roles. Rather than trying to depict any particular story, Time Capsule is a sort of “kaleidoscope” of musical moments (or memories) that gradually unfold over an arch form of Slow–Fast–Slow. In the final moments, the top violin plays tinkering bell-like harmonics and the gentle repetition calls to mind the image of a music box fading into silence.

- Daniel Temkin