Restless

The appropriately-titled RESTLESS begins with a recitative-like Misterioso, building tension as if slowly pulling back a spring until it snaps. This recoil is supercharged, cycling through a series of dance rhythms inspired by the music of Samuel Zyman’s native Mexico. Successive episodes bring the tempo gradually faster, with restless tension between folkloric harmonies and chromatically dramatic harmony. Equally dramatic is a surprise return to the broadly declamatory music of the opening, and the gradual second series of restless song and dance. The 10-minute work was commissioned by Astral Artists’ Micro-Commissioning Program, for pianist Zhenni Li.