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"When the Dream Begins to End" is a piece that I wrote in college, during the summer after my freshman year. I feel like this piece isn't even mine in some ways, like a few other miraculously rapid compositions—it sort of fell out of me.
This one also uses quadruple compound meter (12/8, like "Voice" and "Up on the Balcony"), and also uses only two chords, B Major and C Major. I didn't put a key signature for this piece, not because it's in C Major, but because the tonal center is very ambiguous.
I love the sort of flamenco sound this piece has in the first-ish part, then I use almost the full range of the keyboard, both ends at the same time. The right hand's steady octaves are somehow soothing and haunting simultaneously.
I also very much enjoy the triplet/duplet, or three-against-two rhythms that happen between the two hands a few times. The intention of that was to confuse listeners' inner rhythm keepers, as in that beginning, it was unclear momentarily what type of meter the piece is in.
I wrote this piece on a trip seven years ago when I visited my late paternal grandparents. At the retirement home where they stayed, there were so many pianos all over the place. I set a goal to play as many pianos as I could find. I want to say this particular piece was played on perhaps Piano #7.
It was almost entirely improvised on a piano in an empty music recital room. The atmosphere felt very spooky but still a bit of warmth remained. I took a video of myself playing this piece, and I was transcribing it that same night, beginning to fall asleep as I meticulously put the notes into my notation software. The half-awake, half-asleep, dreamy state that I fell into while listening to the piece reflected in the piece itself, hence the title "When the Dream Begins to End".
In terms of sheer oddity, none of my other compositions are like this one. It was written during my most prolific summer thus far with composing. That record will change someday...!