Asterion & Theseus
For Piano
Dedicated to Danaë Killian.

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Program note

This piece is the concluding scene from my 2024 dance-opera-piano concerto, Labyrinth. Labyrinth is a multi-room theatre work that explores the journey of Theseus, guided by Ariadne, as he confronts and kills her brother, the Minotaur.
This work had a libretto by Daniel Szesiong Todd.

When the Minotaur was born, it was given the name Asterion, meaning "Little Star." This piece depicts the final confrontation between Theseus and the Minotaur - a violent cadenza for solo piano, representing the monster.
Beginning with a star-like lullaby, representing the sleeping monster as Theseus tiptoes into its lair at the heart of the labyrinth. A battle ensues between the two, with the monster finally being violently stabbed multiple times.

The piece concludes with the death of the monster, and the ticking of its heart slowly fades away amidst an eerie setting of the “Dies Irae” chant. The “Dies Irae” is used throughout the opera to depict the monster and the stench of death that surrounds it.