There Was Yet No Heaven - SPLICE Festival

Composer: Vahid Jahandari Baritone Saxophone: Wilson Poffenberger Featuring a pre-recorded double bass track by Adriano Orrù, the piece blurs the boundaries between acoustic and electronic sound, performer and narrative. Wilson Poffenberger delivers a profoundly nuanced performance, animating this complex and emotionally resonant work with exceptional depth and precision. He engages in a dynamic dialogue with the electronic elements—sounds that originate from his own instrumental gestures—at times echoing them with a subtle delay, at others anticipating sonic events yet to unfold. This interplay cultivates a sense of ambiguity between the live and the pre-recorded, dissolving temporal clarity and enveloping the listener in a dreamlike atmosphere. Within this meticulously crafted sonic architecture, the audience is drawn into a space where perception wavers, and presence becomes fluid. This work offers a musical interpretation of the creation of the world, inspired by the biblical narrative. It explores the opposing forces that shape existence, dramatically expressed through the saxophone’s dual modes of performance. Following the prologue, the piece begins with a biblical passage where God breathes life into man—this moment is sonically marked by the audible breath at 4:30, separating the prologue from the main composition. From there, the alternating calm and chaotic sections reflect the ongoing tension between harmony and discord, evoking the complexities at the heart of human and cosmic experience. The work had its world premiere at the XVIII World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia, on July 11, 2018, and quickly gained international recognition. The U.S. premiere followed at EMS60, celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the University of Illinois Experimental Music Studios, on November 17, 2018. Subsequent performances included the International Saxophone Symposium at George Mason University (January 13, 2019) and the SPLICE Festival at Western Michigan University (June 29, 2019).