As Memories Frozen in Time Melt Away for piano is composed of twelve short movements organized in two parts. The first six movements focus on memories that remain intact, while the final six focus on memories that are fading. Moving through various styles, tempos, and meters, this piece exists as one whole despite the disjunct nature of each movement.

The work’s formal structure was inspired by the piece Musica Ricercata by preeminent composer György Ligeti (1923-2006), with each of the twelve movements gaining one pitch-class, from one in the opening movement to twelve in the final one. Reversing Ligeti’s concept, As Memories Frozen in Time Melt Away begins with all twelve pitch-classes being utilized in the first movement and losing one pitch class in each of the eleven subsequent movements.

The imagery of the piece was inspired by the photos captured on Suomenlinna Island off the coast of Helsinki, Finland. Through the dense fog and mist, only about fifty feet in front of you is visible. This image struck me as metaphorical regarding the loss of fond memories, and this piece is an attempt to put these concepts into musical form.