Hearing It Getting Dark is inspired by the fractured world of William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, which chronicles the tragic dissolution of the Compson family in the American South. The work centers on the absent presence of Caddy, the only daughter, whose story is told through the subjective, stream-of-consciousness perspectives of her three brothers. The title is taken from the novel’s opening section, where the mentally disabled Benjy experiences the world through a synesthetic lens, "hearing" the onset of twilight.

I. Walking Shadow

The title refers to the Macbeth speech that provided Faulkner with his novel's title. This movement depicts the volatile Jason Compson. A persistent, repeated-note motif undergoes constant transformation, shadowed by echoes in the other instruments that create a blurred, "musical shadow." The movement is defined by unpredictable mood swings: violent outbursts that collapse into pensive reflection, mirroring Jason’s resentment and hair-trigger temper.

II. Clocks that Slay Time

This movement serves as a musical stream-of-consciousness for the neurotic and decadent Quentin Compson on his final day. The music initially alludes to the exaggerated Romanticism of Mahler, Wagner, and Debussy, representing Quentin’s obsession with a "pure" past. However, a specific motif associated with Caddy acts as a corrosive element. Every time it enters, it destabilizes the harmony and destroys the Romantic textures, rendering the music increasingly dissonant. No matter how Quentin clings to beauty, his perspective is crushed by the pressure of memory, ending in the quiet, exhausted undulations of a mind at its brink.

III. She Smelled Like Trees

The finale explores Benjy’s sensory world, where his primary connection to Caddy is through smell. To capture Benjy’s disorientation, I utilized an asynchronous texture: beautiful, lyrical melodies are introduced but are never played in sync across the ensemble. The instruments drift apart, creating "sensory waves" where the essence of the melody is felt but never quite captured. It is a tumultuous attempt to reach a memory through a haze of blurred senses.