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Additional Information
Diatoms (I-IV) form the first four sections of a projected set of twelve pieces for two pianos. This first set is subtitled 'The Four Horsemen' and is made in reference to four well-known Atheist thinkers and writers; Richard Dawkins, Daniel C. Dennett, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens.
The work demands much technical agility and detail from the pianists in unison or antiphonal writing, with occasional use of inside and outside piano effects. Their expression is brief (though not aphoristic) while their detail is extravagant, like Diatoms themselves, whose ornate and beautiful silicate skeletons show intricate detail on a minute scale.
The four sections are subtitled:
1. Diatom I (to RD) Preciso
2. Diatom II (to CH) Con Forza (con la logica brutale)
3. Diatom III (to DD) - (skyhooks and cranes) Scorrevole e delicato
4. Diatom IV (to SH) Meccanico
Diatoms (I-IV) was written for the Francoise-Green piano duo.
©2011 K.Hesketh