While Among Giants attempts to convey the immense scale of the redwood forest, Among Insects zooms in on all the activity that happens on a miniature and microscopic level, despite the apparent stillness of the forest. The piece begins with a single, energetic line in the right hand, without accompanying bass notes or chords. This is the “insect” line. The movement is fairly unpredictable, with sudden starts and stops, much like the movement of insects. The insect line then continues while accompaniment is added in the left hand. Following this, both hands start to work synchronously to play a chordal section with the bellows shake technique. This section of the piece represents the ecosystem of the forest and of nature itself; all the parts fit together to form a cohesive and perfectly functioning symbiosis. These two sections are then repeated, albeit with variations of chords and mode, until the bellows shake technique returns to conventional playing style, and the tempo slows down slightly. The steady 16^th note rhythm is systematically replaced by 8^th notes, and subsequently, chords are replaced one by one with rests until all that is left is a low C. The piece ends with the beginning of the insect line coming back in its original tempo, signifying the cycle of death and rebirth that is intrinsic to our natural world.

Commissioned by NOVAM and published by Jetelina.