Instrumentation:

• 3(dbl. picc).2(dbl.ca).2.2 — 4.2(dbl.fgh).3 — timp — perc(3) — hp — cel — solo vcl. — strings

Duration: 29:00

First Performance: —

Program Note:

• I wrote the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra during Fall 2019 near Lake Champlain, Vermont.

  The first movement is a lyrical exploration of sonata form. The lilting time meters gives the movement a distinct ballet-like feel; woodwind flutterings and jumps literally depicting dancers. The coda, announced by an abrupt modulation to F# minor and a change of meter to 4/4, introduces new rhythmic intensities not to be found again until the third movement. After more frequent modulations, the piece arrives back in C minor with crashing death blows, only to be dragged again to F# minor. Finally, a triumphant statement of the theme in C major fakes out a brilliant ending, for the music quickly subdues back into C minor and ends in a quiet flourish.

  The second movement is a hymn inspired by the natural landscape of Vermont, my home state. Sterling Pond is a beautiful area tucked away off the slopes of Vermont’s tallest mountain, Mt. Mansfield, and is a favorite resting spot for weary Long Trail hikers. The movement is in ABA form with the two outer sections containing the hymn-like material, in an earthy C major. The middle section, beginning in E minor, is more turbulent, perhaps warning of distant dark clouds on the horizon. But interspersed are passages of tranquil wonder and sparkling textures in A major — Vermont never manages to cease being beautiful. I use the last phrase of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Es ist genug” (“It is enough”) chorale to depict my endless satisfaction with my home. The B section of the movement introduces a new melody that is further developed in the finale.

  The finale indulges in intense rhythmic energy. Rhythms of five are frequently found as well as constantly changing time signatures. Melodically, the main new idea is a quick four note motif sometimes on the beat, sometimes off. Allusions to the motif of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony would not be wrong. Melodies from the previous two movements are treated here in new ways before the rhythms of five, and the four note motif, bring the work to a brilliant and exhilarating close.