Diverging Crossroads

Programme Notes

I often feel as though there are many different versions of myself, each one offering conflicting advice about how I should move forward. These different “me’s” each have their own instructions, but despite their apparent unity on the surface, their guidance often contradicts itself. What am I supposed to do? Which “me” will lead the true version of myself to that elusive state of happiness—not through achievements, but simply by embracing who I am?

I don’t have the answers yet, and I’m unsure if I ever will. But I will keep searching. If I stopped now, there would be no point in continuing. So, I move forward—uncertain but determined.

This internal struggle, with all its competing emotions, is what I attempt to express through the piano in this composition. The shifting tones, harmonies, and rhythms mirror the confusion, the tension, and the fleeting moments of clarity that accompany this journey.

If you’re familiar with my earlier piano composition Crossroads Where I Stand, you might recognize that the opening theme of this piece bears a resemblance. In fact, you’d be right. Believe it or not, I subconsciously recycled an idea from myself. These two pieces were composed just two months apart, with several other works in between, yet somehow the same musical theme resurfaced. It’s strange—but also revealing. I guess this concept, this tension of competing desires, resonates with me deeply.

– Frank Horvat