Porcupine Quest

The pensive chords dominating the opening of Timothy Polashek’s Porcupine Quest don’t immediately hint at the angular gestures, replete with dense clusters which hijack the solo piano piece into new territory. Riffs and phrases are asymmetrically placed in time and the usual fare we’re all used to gets unusually recast with a tinge of jazz—not the swing, but the spontaneity. With all these strange repetitions and octave displacements, I hear a composer railing against the long-lasting effects of species counterpoint homework. This is a perfect example of what Fux followers would deem an utter disaster. Way to go!

—RN