Musical Response to "Evil May Lose"

Editors’ Note: In the spirit of art, community, and collaboration, we invited Gio Barabadze to create original improvisations in response to the poems of another Tilt West Journal contributor, Dujie Tahat.

Thoughts on “EVIL MAY LOSE THE BATTLE FOR HISTORY BUT WINS THE WAR OF AESTHETICS”:

It seems to me that this poem explores feelings of powerlessness, yet these explorations don’t suggest complacency. Instead, they reveal a decisiveness about what's right, by exploring darkness and the nature of evil. For this composition, I messed around with various chord progressions until I found one that sounded like it could go both ways: in a light direction or a dark direction. The poem has a contemplative tone, so I decided to articulate the chord progression in a way that would suggest gradual movement, as if following a narrative. I felt it was appropriate to have the progression twist and wind in a way that is unpredictable but still offers a distinct sense of direction and a clear destination.