I. Slow and pensive
II. Vigorous and agitated
III. With humor and playfulness
IV. Wild and unhinged
Gouaches Découpées is a set of four miniatures inspired by the vibrant and iconic cut-paper works of Henri Matisse. Much like Matisse’s Gouaches Découpées, which transformed simple shapes into bold visual compositions, this piece explores how small, sharply defined musical ideas can carry striking expressive weight. Each movement acts as a musical “cut-out”—concise, colorful, and uniquely shaped—contributing to a broader collage of contrasting textures and moods. This work represents my ongoing fascination with the expressive power of the miniature, particularly in the realm of chamber music. Writing Gouaches Découpées posed the challenge of crafting four movements that are distinct in character yet unified in spirit—all within a compact form. Through this process, I came to better understand how brevity can sharpen focus and heighten impact. Just as Matisse distilled visual complexity into elemental forms, I sought to pare musical ideas down to their essence—allowing clarity, color, and contrast to speak with immediacy. The clarinet, cello, and piano interact like layers of cut paper: overlapping, interlocking, and at times sharply juxtaposed. The result is a work that celebrates both the elegance of simplicity and the richness that can emerge from minimal means.
