This miniature was written for virtuoso saxophonist Amy Dickson’s fabulous online Solo Sessions series that she brought to life during the COVID-19 crisis. Amy asked me to contribute to this project with a piece that might reflect this challenging time in our history. I felt like exploring the word Distance – it has become one of the most used words during this pandemic. I looked at the word as in how far apart we are with one another – with Amy in London and I in Sydney, with an ocean between us. I also thought about how far the notes are placed in relation to each other, and also a distance in time between notes or bars or phrases. So I wrote a piece with many rests, to give it a sense of space. It starts with single G Minor chord notes that appear like little drops, as if flown in by the wind. Over time it grows into an intimate waltz, and the ends the same way it has started.
Elena Kats-Chernin
