Compositions
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This three-movement work was written as a response to—and recollection of—my experience of various aspects of the city in which I live. The first movement, “Anticipation—trepidation,” captures the teeming, hectic essence of city living. The second movement, titled “Glass & Steel,” attempts to portray the grandeur and magnificence of the city's skyline. The final movement, “Reflection,” draws on the emotions and themes of the previous two.
The theme for this work originated while driving through the beautiful country back-roads of Bridge Creek, Oklahoma. The variations are all derived from the descending English horn solo found at the beginning of the theme.
Originally conceived as a simple representation of the book of Lamentations as found in the Old Testament of the Bible, the work as a whole began to take on new meaning as it progressed.
The beginning of the piece is angry and turbulent, depicting the consequences of sin resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem. The piece then reflects on the sorrow, death, and loss of the people of Jerusalem in a mournful theme featuring the piano. Hope is described in the Bible as returning to the city only after they realized that God had never left them. The music then describes this affirmation of God's love for all humanity in a profound extended coda.
Caricature attempts to display the orchestra in an objective, almost jocose manner. The theme, which begins mischievously, is later transformed into something more sinister and foreboding.
- February 13, 2004. University of Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Gene Moon; performed in the Paul F. Sharp Concert Hall at the University of Oklahoma in Norman.