Four Relics Cast in Chocolate
Horn, Trombone, Cello, Double Bass
Commissioned by the Composers Conference with support from the Fromm Foundation
2022
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Pilgrim's Pulpit of St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna (c. 1515),
Cast in salted dark chocolate, 75%
II.
Guimard's Paris Métro Balustrade (1900),
Cast in absinthe-infused white chocolate
III.
Barbie's Deluxe Dream House (1998),
Cast in ruby chocolate
IV.
Starfleet Type-3 Phaser Rifle (c. 2265),
Cast in Romulan-Ale-infused dark chocolate, 90%
Four Relics Cast in Chocolate offers a gourmet blend of nostalgia and science generously infused with kitsch. Each relic, represented by its musical milieux, has been paired with a flavor of chocolate that best brings out its visual and historical qualities. These taste pairings have a foundation in the science of crossmodal correspondences, which are intuitive, synesthesia-like connections between sensory modes that the majority of people share. For example, psychological studies suggest that a rich dark chocolate is low in musical pitch, its bitterness best brought out by bright brassy timbres. Saltiness is also low in pitch and related to noise or discontinuity in a sound. Fruit and sweetness are both high in pitch, with fruit being a bit brighter and sweetness being purer in sound.
Please email me at chelsea@komschlies.com if you are interested in the score and parts for performance.