surface tension (2003) - 14’30”
Winner, Juilliard Orchestral Composition Competition, 2004
Full Orchestra (3-3-3-3);(4-3-3-1);
(Timp + 3-Pno., Hp.);(Strings)
Premiere
April 15, 2004
Juilliard Symphony
Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor, Alice Tully Hall
Listen to MP3
[Orchestral Reading]
surface tension was started in the spring of 2003 and completed in June of that year. It is cast in one movement, which unfolds in alternating slow and fast sections. The atmosphere of unrest that pervades the piece takes its form in a wide variety of characters. From an anxious solo oboe in its altissimo register at the opening, the music finds itself sardonic and sneering at times, relentlessly driving at others, and eventually even in ecstatic hysteria. There are moments of relative tranquility (perhaps suggestive of a calm emanating from a deeper realm), but they are rare and fleeting.
What started as a placid chorale in the horns, heard about 2 minutes into the piece, manifested itself into somewhat of a tour de force for the full ensemble, and demands on the players, especially the principals, are high. Fairly early on in composing this work, I found that the musical material I was working with seemed inclined to incorporate the number five. Five note chords, five notes spread evenly in a beat or two (quintuplets) and five repetitions of the same pitch in succession began to appear with a fair amount of regularity, and although I had not set out with any specific plan to organize the piece with that number in mind, it seemed appropriate to follow the path my subconscious composing had forged. I began to consciously (although not obsessively) integrate the number into the piece on various levels, from large structural issues to decorative touches, which eventually culminate in the final gesture of the piece.
surface tension is dedicated to my brother, and was first performed on April 15, 2004 in Alice Tully Hall, New York City.
back to list of works > >