Coup De Grâce

The story behind this piece is that there has been a very long war. The protagonists are exhausted, morale is at an all-time low, and the army has suffered countless losses. The state of the war has been a stalemate, but the protagonists are on the brink of collapse and cannot sustain this much longer while the enemy relentlessly pushes for domination. However, the general has recently found a fatal flaw in the enemy's strategy. He does not hesitate to gather whatever numbers he has left to coordinate a final attack to end the war. In this music, the general inspires his troops to carry out his plan, barking orders and assigning crucial roles, uplifting them with his menacing authority. The soldiers are so moved by their general and they immediately agree with their unwavering loyalty. Even though they are terrified for their lives, they know that this must be done. By the godlike inspiration of the general, this vastly outnumbered army sets up for battle to deliver the coup de grâce. The aftermath of this devastating attack by this small unit will look like it was created by a colossal military.

"Coup de Grâce" was premiered at the UofT Student Composer Concert by Vincent Poon (violin 1), Satchi Kanashiro (violin 2), Thijs Vorstman (viola), and Maren Helyar (cello).