Araburlesque

"Araburlesque" is the first piece of my college career. Channeling the turn-of-the-century folk modernism of Stravinsky and Bartók, it uses a grotesque circus feel to critique the detrimental effects of always putting on a show in our social media culture. In the middle section, the pressure of constant performance proves to be too much, collapsing to a single tortured violin line followed by a blues section. Finally, the piece breaks into an exasperated, crazed dance, as if surrendering to the virtual world.