Kyma by Joseph Pereira

Kyma is a Greek word meaning wave or sprout. All the material for the piece comes from the opening irregular patterns played in the center of a 32” drum tuned to a D natural.  This gradually develops throughout the piece into other rhythms and pitches.  All of the electronic sounds were created by the composer, (except for a short quote from Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony) using mostly a low timpani and other instruments played on this drum, and then manipulated in Logic.  The piece was commissioned by McGill University and was meant to be performed live by the composer at PAS Quebec, but was premiered virtually due to Covid. The first live performance was as Disney Hall in 2022 by the composer.