ABSTRACT
The manipulation of musical timescale encourages listeners to question conflicting perceptions: slow or fast, static or dynamic, circular or progressive. These concerns often come into focus through formal paradoxes: expressive expansiveness in spite of structural compression. This chapter explores two case studies: Kaaija Saariaho’s (b. 1952, Finland) small-scale piano trio Light and Matter and Hans Abrahamsen’s (b. 1952, Denmark) epic instrumental piece Schnee (Snow). Both share preoccupations with economy of material and creative energy, yet operate over radically different durations. This study outlines how successfully these pieces communicate with audiences through the very temporal designs that seemingly set them apart.
