A Kiss for Death
for guitar & piano 
A Kiss for Death is a concert performance piece for guitar and piano that highlights the issues surrounding cultural assimilation. The title suggests both "an act" and "a consequence": "A Kiss" refers to the appealing aspects of assimilation, while "for Death" symbolizes the loss of traditions, customs, rituals, and practices. As a result, the work is imbued with tension and a wide range of emotions.
A Kiss for Death is composed in three parts and designed for virtuoso musicians. It was commissioned by the Brisbane Music Festival and composed during my Prelude residency at Gallop House in Perth, WA.
In A Kiss for Death, I sought to explore what might be considered the "unseen side of the coin" in cultural assimilation, differentiating between "Cultural Assimilation" and "Cultural Integration" in the context of music. Cultural Assimilation occurs when a minority group or culture comes to resemble the majority group within a society, adopting its values, behaviors, and beliefs, either partially or completely.
Some forms of cultural assimilation resemble acculturation, where a minority group or culture fully absorbs into the dominant culture, leading to the diminishment or complete disappearance of the minority culture's defining characteristics. In contrast, Cultural Integration, often found in multicultural communities, involves a minority group adopting certain aspects of the dominant culture, either through cultural diffusion or practical reasons such as adapting to social norms, while still retaining their original cultural identity.
A Kiss for Death is presented to the audience through the perspective of an observer, as if a mirror is held before us, reflecting and portraying the emotions of those who live with deep love but also endure constant, unimaginable sorrow and anguish for the loss of their traditions.