Black Dog
Preludes to New Lights 
July 2020

Composer | Susan Lolavar
Pianist| Mahsa Salali

Interview: Lolavar discusses her early piece with Salali, exploring how performers can approach ‘open’ works that call upon them to improvise.
​
The piece is based on the experience of depression and its effects on creativity. There is a long history of using the term black dog to refer to depression and my starting point for this work was a painting by Francisco de Goya entitled ‘The Dog’. This work was painted on the walls of his house sometime between 1819 and 1823 while he was suffering from severe depression. The works created during this period are often collectively referred to as his black paintings. Black Dog features solo piano and electronics triggered live according to the sound level produced by the instrument.