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Dementophobia

for Two Saxophones and Percussion Quartet

Program Note
Dementophobia is a kind of musical representation of one’s own fears about becoming insane.  It is a succession of rather diverse episodes, each corresponding to a different symptom of a dementophobic mind.  The first section represents severe anxiety, which features piercing xylophone motives underscored by a jittery, festering ostinato in the saxes and marimba.  The second episode represents a feeling of unreality, or detachment from oneself.  This is much softer, and is propelled by an incessant quarter-note pulse in the almglocken and steel drum, accompanied by dream-like whispers in the saxes fading in and out of the texture.  The final section represents uncontrollable mania, which is marked by explosive, constantly changing rhythmic patterns, designed to keep the listeners on their toes.  The piece ends with thunderous drumming paired with desperate screeches in the very highest register of the saxophone. 

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