Street-Corner, Ten-Fifteen PM

2014 // 5'
for wind ensemble, level 4-5
commissioned by the Wantagh High School Wind Ensemble,
dir. Mindy Dragovich
premiered May 21, 2014

Program Note:

Street-Corner, Ten-Fifteen PM is about accumulation from a set of basic ideas. A simple rhythm, heard throughout on the snare drum, slowly expands into a full-ensemble blast, with just enough melodic and harmonic content to keep the texture moving forward. A second expansion, punctuated by dissonant chords, finally collapses under its own weight--giving way to a melody that builds towards a cathartic finale. 

The piece is inspired by the memory of teenage summer nights: standing on the street-corner with friends, doing nothing but feeling deeply. The loss of those years is painful, but time marches on. And memory can still bring them back--even if only for a moment.

Instrumentation:

piccolo
flutes 1,2,3
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clarinets 1,2,3
bass clarinet
contra-alto clarinet
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3 alto saxes
tenor sax
baritone sax
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trumpets 1,2,3
2 horns
trombones 1,2
bass trombone
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2 baritones
2 tubas
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contrabass
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timpani (4)
6 percussion