Metamorphosis I (2012) by Heidi Jacob
for cello and piano

Metamorphosis I upends several premises, beginning with the cello's subservient role in the opening introduction. Pairing techniques from minimalism and, broadly speaking, serialism, the work juxtaposes these two contrary compositional impulses from the 20th and 21st century. The opening piano gradually introduces the 12-note row that appears again in double stops by the cello. The row is loosely used throughout the work, most prominently in the dissonant middle portion that uses repeated and evolving minimalist rhythmic and melodic cells. The row's original, retrograde and retrograde inversion forms are presented in a lyrical fashion to conclude the work over quasi-tonal, minimalist triadic textures.