Ori was composed for Ariel Rivka Dance in spring 2015.  A work for 4 amplified cellos, it channels Apocalyptica, whose brilliant work re-scoring Metallica has long been a staple of my subway rides.  Originally composed in three sections (1, 2, +3) to score a fast paced, energy dance, I soon realized I needed a pause in the music to justify the ending.  

Having just had my first child, Eva, I had written a work for one hand (whichever wasn't holding her) to play a simple progression of chords, and that soon became Movement 2.5, which anchors the piece.   

Ori can be translated to mean "my light" in Hebrew and thus Sections 1 and 2 build as if there is the intense light of the day, and then calm down with dusk into night.  Section 2.5 is that calm in the middle of the night when barely anyone is awake, and then Section 3 mimics the first two in structure, but ends with, for me, the image of one of the most magical sunsets I've ever seen.  

Ori was recorded at the Bunker Studios in 2016.