Performances

World Premiere: Cleveland Institute of Music, May 5, 2002

Kulas Hall, Cleveland Institute of Music, March 2, 2003

Cleveland Chamber Collective and guests, at Epworth-Euclid United Methodist Church, Cleveland, Ohio, May 7, 2006

Program Note

The Tree Serenades (2002) is a tribute and response to the natural beauty embodied in some of the many wonderful trees I encountered while living in northeast Ohio. Each of the seven movements is based on a short aphoristic and/or poetic text, at once personal and philosophical, written by me especially for this composition. In composing this work, I deliberately set out to explore issues of freedom and control in musical composition. Four of the movements make use of proportional notation. In some instances this is combined with requests for the performers to improvise according to imposed limitations. Traditional metered notation is employed in the remaining movements. Unusual vocal and instrumental timbres are explored throughout the work.

Although a narrator may be added to the ensemble it is possible for the instrumentalists to perform the spoken parts as suggested in the performance notes contained in the score.

A conductor is advised.

Text

(by the composer)

I-In spring the forest turns to lace…
II-The gentleness of pines penetrates a fierce wind…
III-One tree was reaching impossibly high, as if it would embrace the sky…
IV-Along the lane, the poplars chatter of all things obvious yet unseen…
V-Every tree a captive in its place must take what comes—it cannot run, but only wave its arms and maybe, hide its face…
VI-Suddenly, all the leaves are yellow! The seemingly eternal sameness of summer green transformed…
VII-A bare tree in winter is so beautiful…

Awards

Winner, ASCAP/SCI Region V 2003