Travis Laplante- Spiral to the Beloved performed by Erika Dohi
Spiral to the Beloved
Travis Laplante- composition
Erika Dohi- piano
Live at Princeton University
November 14th, 2023
Program note:
Spiral to the Beloved is inspired by the shape of the path of life, which for me has resembled a spiral much more than a line. I often have no idea if I’m making progress as a human or as a musician. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, I keep coming back to daily practices of sound and silence. Sometimes I can feel that there is so much love in my heart that I don’t actually know what to do with it, and at other times fear gets the most to me. Despite this, somewhere deep down I trust that if I’m in a position of receptivity, there is a chance that the great lover will take my hand and lead me into the bottomless well of nothingness. If and when this happens is completely out of my hands.
This piece is a reflection of experiences in meditation when, despite my mind’s resistance and all of the horror in the world, I feel a hand extend that leads me to a place of unification and unconditional love, shattering all I know. This hand is inside of all of us.
A very special thank you to Erika Dohi, not only for her stunning musicianship, but for her attentive listening in conversation and her receptivity to embark on a piece with this kind of intimacy and insanity behind it. Her unspoken understanding is a great gift to me as a person. I look forward to deepening both our friendship and collaboration as time moves on.
www.travislaplante.com
www.erikadohi.com