sear (2023)
Sinfonietta [1111.1110.2perc.piano.11111]
Duration: 7.5’
Premiered by Alarm Will Sound on March 21, 2023 at Richardson Auditorium, Princeton NJ.
Performed by Alarm Will Sound on July 29, 2023 for 2023 Mizzou International Composers Festival at The Missouri Theatre, Columbia MO
Program note
I spend a lot of time in the kitchen (or at the grill) cooking. It’s something I love to do for myself and others, whether I’m preparing meals for the week or hosting a gathering. In 2018, I read Samin Nosrat’s Salt Fat Acid Heat from cover to cover. At the time, I was more passionate about eating than I was about cooking, but I was willing to learn.
In the section of the book on Heat, the author talks about an event called the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction in which heat causes browning of proteins and sugars within ingredients. There are many ways to achieve the Maillard reaction, one of them being the searing method. Simply put, you prepare an extreme heat source (like a 700 degree skillet), you put a raw ingredient on the skillet (like a steak), and then the surface becomes deeply browned (and incredibly flavorful). A few drawbacks of this method include smoking up your kitchen, setting off the fire alarm, sweating profusely, but it’s worth it for the flavor (…sometimes…this is why I like the grill, even in the dead of winter).
sear is a piece based on extreme contrasts, with the idea of blistering heat in mind.