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| This work was written for the Roehampton Contemporary Music Group who gave its first performance in May 1998. It was written for a concert that would include a performance of Steve Reich’s Six Pianos, specifically to contrast and complement it. Unlike Reich’s piece, it is comparatively short (8 minutes) and seeks to underline differences between each performer rather than trying to minimise them. In particular each player is given freedom in shaping material in time rather than imposing a unified pulse. The title refers to the contrasting dynamic nature of the musical material used: loud dense energetic sections alternate with quiet sparse material (most clearly be heard at the opening), and also to the fact that the ensemble is divided into two halves (often one quiet, the other loud). |