Broken Symmetry: Score & Parts

Broken Symmetry showcases Matthews's gift for creating coherent, engaging structures without relying on conventional harmonic or melodic patterns. The score demands focused listening and careful ensemble coordination, making it ideal for groups ready to tackle contemporary music with intellectual rigor and musical sophistication.

The music unfolds with taut, almost geometric precision, yet contains moments of unexpected lyricism and color. Broken Symmetry lives in the tension between formal control and subtle transformation, creating an absorbing listening experience that reveals new details with each encounter.

This score and parts set is designed for accomplished chamber or ensemble musicians comfortable with twentieth-century contemporary idioms and willing to engage with non-traditional harmonic language. It suits university ensembles, new music groups, and professional chamber ensembles seeking challenging repertoire that rewards sustained study.

• Study the full score alongside individual parts to understand how your line functions within the larger harmonic and textural architecture.
• Attend to rhythmic precision and ensemble alignment; contemporary works of this kind often rely on exact rhythmic relationships to create their intended sonorities.
• Balance clarity of individual lines with awareness of the composite sound; avoid allowing any single voice to dominate unless specifically marked.
• Work with a conductor who can articulate the structural logic of the piece, so performers understand where tension and release occur.

This work functions well as a centerpiece on a contemporary music concert, particularly when paired with other twentieth-century chamber works that share similar aesthetic concerns. It also serves as an excellent gateway into Matthews's catalog for ensembles developing their contemporary repertoire.

• Reading complex rhythmic figures and non-standard notational practices
• Balancing independent melodic lines within a non-tonal harmonic context
• Responding to subtle dynamic and textural changes as structural markers
• Ensemble coordination without functional harmonic reference points