| Summary: | The concerto Wandering Viewpoint is composed for one solo cellist and two ensembles. Though the accompaniment is composed of two ensembles, it is an ensemble split into two or more configurations which change over time. This setup presents a problem in that there is a dichotomy between the soloist (cello) and the accompaniment (two ensembles), and also that the potential polarity within the accompaniment can create an extra tension in opposition to the soloist. In addition, it is easy to achieve assimilation instead of contrast because the instrumentations are, by design, mirror images of each other. As a consequence, the soloist in this situation can be easily blended into the accompaniment though his freedom and the independence must be maintained in order for him to be the focus of the activity.
Over the course of the 14-minute work, the idea of the two ensembles is mostly conceptualized as two contrapuntal parts of different functions, rhythms, colors of orchestration and two spacializations. The soloist interacts with both ensembles as he influences them and thus interacts with representations derived from his own line. So the soloist and the two are staging a scenario of a system of heterogeneity (or heterophony, a simultaneous variation of a single melody) that can sometimes be vulnerable to the tension and drama created by this interaction. Over the course of the transformation, the soloist's line is gradually enriched with lyricism which enables the accompaniment to support fully. But instead of claiming an heroic gesture for the soloist, the concerto ends with three cellos, with the solo cello in the middle of the two other cellos. They form an ensemble of sonority combining dissonance and consonance, so that the soloist continues to participate in such a disposition till the end of the work.
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