Bound

About the Work

 

Bound is three-minute work for solo piano composed for and dedicated to the covenant of Kara Huber and Scott Allison. The piece is a reflection on marriage – especially the natural tensions that get magnified each day a couple chooses to live life together. Moving through these tensions as a team is a labyrinth each couple navigates for themselves. If the piece had a thesis, it would be that these tensions are what make marriage beautiful – not to outsiders looking in, but only to the two that choose to fight the good fight every day. 

The piece is entitled “Bound” as a play on these tensions. Depending on context, “bound” has different meanings. It can imply a leaping movement forward – to make huge progress, or it can mean a confinement, restriction, or limit. Listeners can interpret the piece with one definition in mind or both. And like the title, one can choose to see marriage as a constraint or as an opportunity for huge progress.