Thoreau Second Hand

Instrumentation: narrator, fl, cl, bsn, horn, tr, trb, perc: 5 beer-bottles, 5 metal-cans, 5 wood-blocks

Length: 16'

Year: 2024

Thoreau Second Hand was written in the framework of the Renewable Music – V4 Composers for Sustainability project in 2024, and is dedicated to Hashtag Ensemble (Warsaw), BERG Orchestra (Prague), EnsembleSpectrum (Bratislava) and UMZE Ensemble (Budapest).

The piece is based on textual phrases taken from Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, from the chapter entitled Sounds. The instrumental layers of the piece can be regarded as continuous articulating materials attached to the recited text, creating resonant frequencies with variable characteristics. Therefore, the piece can be regarded as a contemporary reflection to Alvin Lucier’s classic, I Am Sitting In A Room.