Cover artwork: “Diamond Lake” by Ginger Danz, used by permission. All rights reserved.
Program Note
Inspired by Barnett Newman’s iconic monumental sculpture of the same name, Broken Obelisk translates structural balance and dramatic architectural tension into an acoustic landscape. Newman's sculpture famously features an inverted, ruined obelisk balanced precariously upside-down on the apex of a pyramid—a striking study in gravity, fragility, and vertical ambition. Dangerfield adopts this visual dialogue, framing his composition as an exploration of weight and structural fracture.
Musically, Broken Obelisk relies on stark, monolithic sonorities that clash against fragile, splintered textures. The work opens with heavy, grounded harmonic blocks in the lower registers—representing the solid foundation of the pyramid—before ascending into increasingly volatile, unstable heights. Dangerfield uses jagged rhythmic gestures, sudden shifts in dynamic mass, and hovering micro-canons to evoke the tension of a massive structure suspended at its tipping point.
Throughout the piece, periods of rigid, towering symmetry continually break apart into delicate, suspended quiet. By channeling the spirit of Newman’s masterpiece, Broken Obelisk serves as a meditation on human ambition and the delicate equilibrium between chaos and permanence.
