Nico Muhly: Moving Parts: Ensemble de Chambre

Moving Parts is the music for Benjamin Millepied’s ballet of the same name. Scored for Violin, Clarinet and Pipe Organ, the piece is a series of rhythmic etudes. The slow movement is a very slow passacaglia, with, I hope, unexpected lyrical melodies in the violin. After an extended Organ toccata built over a drone, a brief slow movement creates a natural midpoint. The violin, aggressively plucking, builds up to form a canon with a clarinet, and after a loud outburst from the organ, the piece ends quietly.

Moving Parts, written in 2012, is dedicated to Benjamin and the Los Angeles Dance Project.