Instrumentation: 2[2picc].2.2[B-flat and bcl].2[2cbn] - 2.2. -timp.2 perc -strings
Written for: Orchestra of Saint Luke's DeGaetano Composition Institute
World Premiere: July 19, 2019; DiMenna Center, New York City
Duration: 8.5 minutes
Recording available upon request
Program Notes:
The breathtaking Albuquerque Sandia Mountain vistas and the exhilarating tramway ride I took up the mountains inspired my piece, Sandia Reflections. As my fellow passengers and I ascended the mountains, often the tram abruptly stopped to allow trams coming from the opposite direction to pass us. I recreated my experiences on the tram by having the orchestra frequently rise from the lowest registers of the ensemble and then suddenly stop on one note. Eventually the excitement of nearly reaching the summit overtakes the pauses on certain notes.
Once I reached the pinnacle, I felt a profound calmness with an almost meditative outlook. My perspective was transformed. In some cases, the mundane became riveting, and the critical morphed into the unimportant. I depict this blissful sensation in my piece.
Although I savored my deeply calming summit experience, remarkably the tram ride was my favorite part of the experience. My experience fulfilled the proverb, “It’s more about the journey than the destination.”