Concerto for viola and orchestra “The Horizons”
in 4 continuous movements
2022, ca. 26 minutes
Instrumentation:
3(3=pic.)33(3=bcl.)3 - 4331 - Timp. 3perc. hp. pno. - strings - solo viola
Percussion:
anvil, bass drum, crash cymbals, glockenspiel, metal pipe, rute, slapstick, suspended cymbal, tam tam, triangle, tubular bells, vibraphone.
Commissioned by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Andrew Constantine, music director. Premiered by Brett Deubner, viola, and the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic with conductor Constantine at the Embassy Theater on October 29th 2022. Dedicated to Brett Deubner with tremendous gratitude.
Audio samples available upon request: contact page.
Program Note:
My viola concerto concerns itself with a process of rejuvenation, beginning in a place of stasis and uncertainty, and moving to a hopeful look towards the future (the Horizons). The piece is in four continuous movements, each exploring a different emotional landscape and lasting a total of 25 minutes. The first movement begins with gently frozen textures in the orchestra, with the viola “trapped” to only playing a single note at a time, like a beautiful tree or statue encased in ice. Eventually the soloist breaks free of this encasement with a simple tune evolving into a flowing cadenza, the orchestra gradually enraptured by its sounds. Filled with new life (heralded by a trumpet fanfare), the second movement is a tribute to fun and mischief, alternating between rambunctious passages for both soloist and orchestra, and more introspective moments as if discovering some beautiful scene in nature. The third movement explores a scene of contemplation, quietly reflecting on some dream or desire. The finale rouses the ensemble out of this rest with a short but energetic romp, capturing a spirit of rejuvenation and confidence for the future.
In order to suggest a sense of growing exuberance, each of the movements is shorter than the previous one; a “reverse-telescope” form that, for me, focuses the experience into an uplifting core of energy.