Red Thread/Briefly Gorgeous was conceived as a site-specific work that premieres on the campus of Skidmore College behind Haupt Pond. — *Red Thread/Briefly Gorgeous* was conceived as a site-specific work that premieres on the campus of Skidmore College behind Haupt Pond.

Briefly Gorgeous (2021)

Instrumentation: Xylophone and Electronics
Duration: 16'
Commission: Jason Ohlberg with support from the Skidmore College Department of Music and Department of Dance.
Audio Programming and Production: Adam Scott
Premiere: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York on April 23, 2021. Choreography by Jason Ohlberg with music composed and performed (by recording) by Ryan Homsey.

Choreographers Jason Ohlberg and Natscha Greenwalt reimage and restage Ohlberg’s original work set to “Briefly Gorgeous” on dancers from Coriolis Dance, pictured here during the Seatle International Dance Festival’s Inter|National Artist Series on June 12, 2020. Photo credit: Jim Coleman

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Program Note

Briefly Gorgeous is a solo electroacoustic work that combines the natural sound of the xylophone with an interweaving of electronic effects, including digital delay, layers of loop pedals, atomospheric soundscapes derived from granular synthesis, and live passages that playback in reverse. The title comes from Ocean Vuong’s novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. The work progresses through a series of ephemeral episodes that look backward and forward on life’s journey, simultaneously awakening the senses of momentary beauty and infinite loss that often coexist and accompany the human experience.