27
suggestive of, as Larsen points out, the atmosphere and clouds.35 Most of the tension in
the work is generated from the increasingly dissonant harmonies of the wind duos, trios,
and quartets.
The scoring for the piano is perhaps the most unusual feature of this piece. Larsen
does not use the piano at all until two thirds of the way through the work. Therefore,
when it does enter, it seems very foreign and out of place within the established timbre.
Notwithstanding the short chaotic piano cadenza passage at Ц, the piano is used mainly
to repeat short rhythmic motives suggestive of the regular patterns of various intensities
of rainfall. Upon reflection, Larsen used the instrument because she “didn’t know how to
create a black roller, a tornado, without the piano.”36 She continues: “I actually don’t
know why I chose piano. I don’t think I would, now. It provided a kind of rhythmic drive
that I knew how to accomplish on piano, but didn’t know how to accomplish [on other
instruments].”37
In assessing the place of this piece in her catalogue, Larsen does not seem
concerned that BlackRoller is not often performed,38 but rather regards the work as a step
towards the development of her current compositional philosophy. She offers the analogy
of a seasoned performer who regards a recording from the earliest part of his or her
35 Ibid.
36 Ibid.
37 Ibid.
38 Black Roller was recorded to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Minnesota
Contemporary Ensemble in 1997. (Larsen, Libby, 180 Degrees from Ordinary,
Minnesota Contemporary Ensemble, Innova 513, 1998, CD).