Hollow Night: A Greener Path

This piece is *loosely* based on / inspired by the landscapes and emotions I experienced while playing Hollow Knight (great game), with each section *loosely* representing a different area from the game.

A. Greenpath (Green, measures 1–16): Here I wanted to convey a sense of peace and serenity, connection to nature, and moderation. Calm, but not stagnant. The flow starts gentle, then energy builds through an accelerating trill, which leads to B.

B. Fungal Wastes (Yellow, measures 17–28): This is a playful, joyful, scherzo-like section. I wanted it to be quirky, like the "bouncing" atmosphere of Fungal Wastes. From here, we slow down into the next sections.

C. White Palace (White, measures 29–36): This section is ethereal, dream-like, lighter, soft, like clouds.

D. Blue Lake (Blue, measures 37–44): I wanted this section to be contemplative, nostalgic, with a touch of sadness. It's in G, mirroring the first section. A subtle hint of white reappears here at the end, using the harp to tie back to the dream-like qualities of the previous section.

In general, I tried to keep it simple and not overthink it.

Melodically, one can *mostly* hear variations of the same material. I didn't think this out a lot. I just wanted to provide a sense of continuity and a "thread" though not in a systematic way, as the focus and variety is in service of the moods / colors, instead of form.

Orchestration is also implemented in this way, as I didn't consider some usual concerns like having every part stand out, but rather to create a "painting" of colors and textures.

Harmonically, I set out to have the first section more "firmly" in a tonality (G major) while reaching for more variety in the rest of the sections. The final section is also in G, somewhat tying the piece back together.

I deliberately linger in Greenpath to establish the initial mood. From then on, the piece quickly becomes a kaleidoscope of shifting colors, while slowing down into the end to bring the listener back.