Performances

Premiere: The Cleveland Duo and James Umble, Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church, Cleveland, Ohio, April 29, 2007.

Program Note

This work was commissioned by The Cleveland Duo and James Umble.

One summer afternoon, a cirrus cloud drew my attention and changed shape; on another day, a glance at a particularly vivid sunset revealed something akin to a hieroglyph; then one morning while out walking, a cold front blustered through. These seemingly normal events took on a special meaning in my imagination and some music began to take shape. Shortly thereafter, I was sought out by James Umble for a commission.

The piece is in the form of a fantasia, which is to say it began without a formal plan of any kind. All of the musical material derives from the seven note gesture stated by the saxophone in the opening two bars. There are recognizable sections which return, albeit in altered states.