Song Stories: Cutaneous Respiration
Cutaneous Respiration is a four-part piece, with a version for string quartet and another version for saxophone quartet. I wrote it as part of the Global Composers Project “Cafe Gherkinforke” which involves 15 composers from around the world. The world premier of all of the pieces is October 1, 2026 in Glasgow, Scotland by The Scottish Saxophone Quartet (access livestream here at ~8pm local / ~3pm EDT). The US premier concert is October 24, 2026 in College Park Maryland, by Nebula String Quartet. Many other concerts are to follow, around the world.
Cutaneous Respiration is inspired by axoltotls. (Why axolotls? Well as someone who studies aquatic creatures, this may not seem surprising at all. Also, my daughter loves axolotls so they are often on my mind. But also, the early themes of the piece were inspired by compositions by Antonio Lotti (1667-1740). I briefly considered naming the piece “After Lotti”…)
Axolotls breathe in three ways: through their prominent feathery gills, with rudimentary lungs, and through their skin. The idea of breathing through skin is evocative.
When I think about music, breath is central. Cafe Gherkinforke compositions will be played by both saxophones and strings. The connection of breath and sax is clear, but what about for string players? We use breath in string ensembles for signaling, and as part of our emotional expression, and to support our movements. In Cutaneous Respiration, all players are instructed to use breath as a central theme, to explore untapped aspects of breath in music, and to interpret musical “rests” not as breaks from the music but opportunities for breathing to be more a part of the musical story.
