Cerrone "Exhalation"

Exhalation is composed for electric cello but can be performed on any amplified and processed cello.

The concept of Exhalation was inspired by a science fiction story by Ted Chiang. The story is an autumnal account of a mechanical alien race dying off because of the equalizing of pressure between two atmospheres. I imagined the processed pizzicato cello in my piece as a single breath from these creatures. The granulation effect in the work fragments the breath into endless particles, allowing them to slowly come to homeostasis with the surrounding environment.

Note from the music