Visit http://www.cu-pendulum.com for more information on the Pendulum New Music Series at the University of Colorado at Boulder College of Music.
As Sparks Fly Upward (2006), by Leanna Kirchoff.
Featured performers:
Members of The Playground, artists-in-residence at the Denver University Lamont School of Music:
Brian Ebert, clarinets
Angela Dombrowski, violin
Richard von Foerster, cello
Jason Rodon, percussion
Alix Corboy, piano
Jonathan Leathwood, conductor
Conrad Kehn, artistic director
Program notes:
"From its opening, As Sparks Fly Upward, bursts into motion. "Take time by the forelock," says Henry David Thoreau, whos admonition propels the piece. "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." As the piece progresses, two spheres emerge: the temporal sphere heard in jagged motives and syncopated rhythms, and the celestial sphere in the high instrumental ranges, long melodic lines and slow harmonic changes. The rhythmic punctuation of the piano, cello and snare gradually diminishes while the violin and clarinet lines spiral upward, reaching that place Thoreau found "under our feet as well as over our heads." - Leanna Kirchoff
Please visit the following websites for more information on the composer or performers:
http://leannakirchoff.com
http://www.playgroundensemble.org
Great piece! Nice read of Thoreau.
gordomus 3 years ago