Feast (2021)

FEAST was conceived in an era shrouded by a global pestilence, as the world collectively waded through strange and unnerving times. I wanted to write a piece that would reflect these shared experiences without being confined to the specter of Covid-19. Throughout the annals of history, plagues and suffering have been our constant companions, their grim presence an unending inspiration for the artist’s brush and pen.

My fascination with the macabre, particularly the memento mori and the age-old tradition of the “Dance of Death,” has long influenced my work. It was during the early stages of writing that I chanced upon Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Masque of the Red Death.” In particular two visions from Poe’s dark narrative stayed with me. The first was the image of the impenetrable gates, behind which Prince Prospero and his revelers sequestered themselves from the horrors beyond, hoping to indulge in blissful ignorance. The second was the vast pendulum clock, its ominous chimes marking the hours, the inevitable march of the Time that flies as Poe himself describes it.

In this composition, probably the most programmatic of my instrumental creations, I try to inhabit Poe’s world of the fantastical, the grotesque, and the sublime. It stands as a memento mori, a solemn reminder of death’s inescapable embrace. Yet, by its very nature, it is also a monument to life’s fleeting beauty. The title serves as a reminder to savor life’s banquet with fervor and abandon while we still can, mindful of the shadow of mortality that accompanies our every step.