Mico Aquino: Music in Seven Ways (2026)

7 Images, 7 Pieces. "Music in Seven Ways" (c. 18') was composed as part of Yvonne-Nikola Fontaine's '7-Days Project', where 10 composers, including me, compose a piece based on a single image. Each movement features a unique instrumentation and style, expanding in scale and texture as the cycle progresses: 00:00 - I. about time // for violin "about time" is a musing on the brevity of life. Titled after the movie of the same name released in 2013, this piece seeks to illustrate the beauty of what's there in the present and the importance of learning from the time gone by. Image submitted by ‪@MatthewLeeKnowles‬ (00:10). 01:31 - II. distortion spiral // for harpsichord and drums "distortion spiral" is a reaction to a picture I've taken of myself while spinning my phone in a mall. The result: a glaring distorted, spiral self-portrait - hence the title of the piece. Image submitted by yours truly (01:31). 03:15 - III. privacy is dead // for electric piano, xylophone and electronics "privacy is dead" is my humorous take on the topic of privacy, matching the lighthearted character of the image prompt. Image submitted by yours truly (4:05). 04:10 - IV. sab(i ni) rina // for bass clarinet, trombone, piano and violoncello "sab(i ni) rina" [Tagalog for "sabrina (said)"] is a reflection on the said image – a sound emerges, then fades away – like a playful witch. While built based on the "Sabrina" tone row I had concocted before writing the piece, it is not strictly dodecaphonic. The piece draws profound inspiration from the 2nd movement of Mathias Spahlinger's piece "Gegen unendlich" (lit. Towards Infinity), composed for the same set of instruments. Image submitted by yours truly (06:22). 06:27 - V. discontiNUIty // for Virtual ANS, ASMR, flute, vibraphone and classical guitar "discontiNUIty" limns the ebb and flow of thoughts, where ideas intermittently flow and recede. 3 acoustic instruments interact like separate entities as they dance to the magnetism of the virtual ANS synthesizer and ASMR sounds. Image submitted by ‪@AnatoArchives‬ (9:54). Performance notes: 1. The performers may freely pick any segments to play within the given time frame, or perform them as written spatially with the help of a stopwatch. Each segment can also be repeated multiple times. 2. The performers managing the Virtual ANS and ASMR parts may freely choose their sound events, assigning a number to each distinct sound (e.g., ANS 1.mp3, ANS 2.mp3; ASMR 1.mp3, etc.). 3. If the ASMRtist is present in the performance, they may prepare separate sounds or phrases to represent each number. 09:58 - VI. he lives and he lives until all of the lights go out // for celesta, harp and string quartet "he lives and he lives until all of the lights go out" is my heartfelt interpretation of the image submitted by ‪@azhcounterpoint‬ (14:00). The title is the last line from Don Hertzfeldt's cinematic masterpiece "It's Such a Beautiful Day", a film by which this piece was heavily inspired. 14:04 - VII. sing your song on fire // for electronics, electric guitar, glockenspiel, bass flute, timpani, tam-tam and piano "Sing your song on fire" concludes my cycle for the project. This piece limns the power of music as a manifestation of solidarity across generations. It is a symbolic postlude to—and in several ways, points back to—the first piece of the set, "about time." The title of the piece was taken from one of the lines of the song "y" by iamamiwhoami, which explores themes of vulnerability and generational legacy. Image submitted by ‪@AnatoArchives‬ (18:01). Dedicated to my co-contributors Yvonne Nikola-Fontaine (‪@AnatoArchives‬), Utsyo Chakraborty (‪@UtsyoChakraborty‬), Matthew Lee Knowles (‪@MatthewLeeKnowles‬), Jabez Krischnen Hemilo (‪@jibizhemilo7136‬), Kurt Angelo Moralde (@angelhearts89), Jared Clyde Javier (‪@classicanime1197‬), Alex Huang (‪@azhcounterpoint‬), Lucas Allori, and Martin Gaughan.