large ensemble - 12 min.
2007 Edward Levy Commission
Program Notes:
This is music about old gods and celestial mechanics. Nyx, the Greek goddess of Night, and Eris, the Greek goddess of Discord were chosen as titles for the two attaca movements because they embody the character of the musical elements in each - Nyx is calm, nocturnal, and mysterious, while Eris is raucously dissonant and extroverted. Though the harmonic language in both movements is very dense, there is almost no true atonality - harmonic fields, symmetrical scales and structures, and linear voice leading govern almost all pitched material, along with heterophony and closely woven imitiative polyphony.
Concerning celestial mechanics and astronomy: the recent discovery (in 2003) of a solar system object larger than Pluto, now named Eris, at a more distant, inclined and eccentric orbit, along with the discovery of other fascinating scattered disk and Kuiper belt objects, were major sources of inspiration for this piece.
Performance History:
World Premiere: March 5, 2008
Pendulum New Music series - Grusin Hall, University of Colorado at Boulder
The Arundo Winds: Cobus DuToit, flute, Sarah Mellander, oboe, Jerome Fleg, clarinet, Kaori Uno, bassoon, Megan Garrison, horn; The Tasman String Quartet: Anna van der Zee, violin 1, James Andrewes, violin 2, Chris van der Zee, viola, Miranda Wilson, cello; Alex Maynegre, piano, Brandon Houghtalen, conductor
2nd Performance: January 29, 2009
Lamont Subscription Concert Series - Hamilton Hall, Newman Center, Denver University
The Playground: Sonya Yeager-Meeks, flutes, Lara Gobins, oboe, Brian Ebert, clarinets, Leigh Townsend, bassoon, Christina Barrs, horn, Rebekah Durham, violin 1, Adrienne Short, violin 2, Donald Schumacher, viola, Richard von Foerster, cello, Heidi Brende Leathwood, piano, Jonathan Leathwood, conductor
Recording