Labyrinth

2013 | for solo double bass | 3’

Labyrinth is a short solo piece for double bass inspired by Portugese artist Jorge Queiroz’ 2012 painting of the same name. In classical design, a labyrinth is a winding, cyclical path that leads from its outer edge in towards its own center, reverses course, and returns to the outer edge. Unlike a maze, which offers a traveler many different paths (some leading to dead ends), a labyrinth offers one inevitable outcome; here, devoid of choice, it is the aesthetics, not the logic, of the path that matters. However, Queiroz’ painting contorts the classical labyrinth and its inhabitants into an abstract, twisted fever dream; in this piece, I’ve tried to replicate both the traditional palindrome structure of the labyrinth and the abstract absurdities of the shades within it.

view score