Íkaros

Is the Icarus myth about someone reckless enough to attempt to transcend human boundaries and defy nature's laws? Sure— but one can’t help empathizing with him. To me, Icarus perfectly encapsulates that human drive and my admiration for him only intensifies the myth’s tragedy. Despite his fall, we must acknowledge that, for a fleeting moment, Icarus soared higher than anyone before him.

The first half features extensive jazz saxophone improvisation, reflecting the tension and ambition in humanity's reach for greatness. In the second half, extended techniques evoke the aftermath of Icarus’s wings melting: his panic, the feeling of time suspended mid-fall, and his inevitable drowning. In the closing moments, his muffled cries for help are barely audible, lost beneath the waves of the Aegean Sea.

Winner of the Performers Choice Best Piece at NEMC

This piece was written for and performed by the Snow Pond Chamber Players.

C. 6:45