Sean William Calhoun | Composer and pianist

Rushing Asunder, for solo harp (2017) – 8'

Rushing Asunder, composed for harpist Rosanna Moore, is based on Edgar Allan Poe’s tale The Fall of the House of Usher. It is in three sections, and follows the final scenes of the story. The first section sets up a luminous miasma of the atmosphere around the titular house. The second section launches into agitated activity as sounds begin to occur in the house. The third section is essentially a mad scene — a partially-coherent text spoken in the story by Roderick Usher leading to a moment of terrifying clarity, after which all collapses.

Recording

Recording by Rosanna Moore, harp