Odd Moments

Odd Moments was written for the Da Capo Chamber Players in 1999 in celebration of George Perle’s 85th birthday. The piece was revised in 2009, resulting in a version that is a few minutes shorter. The title of the piece obliquely refers to Perle’s late piece Critical Moments, and also to an aspect of Perle’s system of 12-tone tonality, which distinguishes between odd and even harmonies. With subtle timbral shifts, frequent metric changes, and an ingenious use of unison and octave unison throughout, this piece is a sophisticated yet playful addition to the modified Pierrot ensemble literature.