six significant landscapes (after wallace stevens) (2015-16) for narrator and octet
six significant landscapes is a programmatic work based on a series of wonderfully evocative Wallace Stevens poems of the same name. Each poem in the series suggests a unique atmosphere and uses a distinct language and tone, but subtle motivic connections create a sense of unity between the poems. As I worked on this piece, I struggled to musically capture the moods of the text while still representing this overall unity. In the fourth movement, a trembling texture descends through a series of nocturnal variations (using a quotation from Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire) before settling back into silence. The fifth movement juxtaposes pulsing repeated notes with shimmering colors, utilizing harmonicas to draw diverse timbres from the ensemble. The sixth movement begins with a solemn progression of open fifths, but springs into a lyrical section of joyfully angular lines.
The first three movements of six significant landscapes were written for the University of Nevada Contemporary Ensemble; the final three movements were written as part of Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artist Composition Program.
The first three movements of six significant landscapes were written for the University of Nevada Contemporary Ensemble; the final three movements were written as part of Boston University Tanglewood Institute Young Artist Composition Program.
selected performances
May 2016 — UNR Contemporary Ensemble, UNR Spring Composer’s Concert, Reno, NV (Part I)
Jul. 2015 — BUTI Honors Recital, Ozawa Concert Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA (Part II)
Jul. 2015 — BUTI Young Artist Composer’s Concert, West Street Theatre, Lenox, MA (Part II)
May 2016 — UNR Contemporary Ensemble, UNR Spring Composer’s Concert, Reno, NV (Part I)
Jul. 2015 — BUTI Honors Recital, Ozawa Concert Hall, Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA (Part II)
Jul. 2015 — BUTI Young Artist Composer’s Concert, West Street Theatre, Lenox, MA (Part II)