Zero Sum Game

Zero Sum Game began life as a simple set of chords and an intent to create something fresh and vibrant for the fabulous musicians of Omega Ensemble. Through many versions and re-writes, the piece eventually took shape as one core musical idea travelling through a wide variety of musical contexts, thrown around the ensemble and teased apart in a playful and exploratory manner. The 'game' of the piece sees the five musicians in competition with one another, engaged in a musical tug-of-war as they spar and team up to demand the foreground. Eventually, the high energy and tension of the opening disintegrates, giving way to a section of more delicacy and intimacy in which musical lines overlap and interweave to create subtler textures, before a fiery rush to the finish line.

Instrumentation
Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano

Year of Composition
2021

Duration
9 minutes

Commissioned by
Omega Ensemble as part of CoLAB 2021

Premiere
Omega Ensemble, Utzon Room, Sydney Opera House, 4 December 2021

Score
Available to hire via the Australian Music Centre