Emak-Bakia (2015) by Nicolas Tzortzis
for flute, clarinet, viola, cello, and piano
World premiere; Earplay commission

Based on the 1926 Man Ray film of the same name, Emak-Bakia tries to recreate the surrealist environment of the images, applying certain surrealistic techniques of the 1920's. The music is at certain moments accompanied by a text, and also by some on-stage actions, without an apparent relation between the various elements. Commissioned by the ensemble Earplay for its 30th anniversary, with the help of an artistic grant by the Fulbright Foundation, the work is dedicated to Mary Chun, Steve Ness, and Brenda Tom, as a minimum token of gratitude for everything they have done for me over the years.