harmonic progression

After revisiting Edgard Varèse’s music, he built upon Varèse’s ideas about building and extending musical structures that are independent from standard harmonic progressions.

"As a fundamental principle in music composition, it is necessary to combine temporal sequences from tension-building to resolution in various scales, from harmonic progressions to entire movements," Nagai writes.

The variations, all but three in the same major key, utilize roughly the same harmonic progression, so listeners are lulled by the shared cadence but also dazzled by the inventiveness that masks it.

“To explore interesting harmonic progressions and work with melodies that sing.”

The overall effect is of a smoothly unfurling carpet — reminiscent of Philip Glass in its unhurried yet wrenching harmonic progressions — atop which voices soar.