for Chamber Orchestra

Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, harp, percussion and strings

I wrote this piece for the musicians of the U of C Chamber Orchestra upon my departure as their music director in the spring of 2008.  The piece is in three “scenes”, each of which has a waltz at its core.

The above recording was made in a concert on October 5, 2009 at Indiana University with a so-called “Ad Hoc” orchestra. Below is the original recording I made in a concert on May 17, 2008 in Chicago. I include it because the performances are so different. I won’t harp on the fact that the musical quality at IU is, um, of a higher caliber, but I should point out the fact that the rooms are so totally different. The recording above sounds like it was made in a bath-tub; below, we were in a nice dry space. For some reason, I did the opposite of what you’re supposed to do in such situations — the performance in the wetter hall is a full minute faster than the one in the arid hall.

Here is a discussion of my performance history with this piece.  Here is a clip from the IU performance, October 2009:

A moody piece for string orchestra, this movement opens my oratorio and is supposed to represent the 3 Wise Men wandering through the desert.  There’s a bunch of little harmonics in the violin texture representing the twinkling of the star.

The opening violin solo is played by one of my best friends, and longtime collaborators, the incomparable Carlos Villarreal.

Here’s a clip from the recording session:

for Chamber Orchestra

Scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, prepared piano, harpsichord, portative organ, 4 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos, bass and percussion.

This was my senior thesis in composition at the University of Chicago.  It is a polystylistic romp through the ages, built on three pieces of material: a descending glissando figure, the “La Folia” chord progression, and a waltz.  It’s a humdinger of a piece.  It’s hard to hear on this recording, but at the end, I have the organist switch off the power supply to her instrument.  As the air decompresses, various higher partials in the pipes are activated, creating about the coolest instrumental effect I know.