Program Notes:

Chronicle was commissioned to accompany a short film on a concert where several pieces were to accompany silent films projected above the orchestra. The film that this music accompanies, also titled Chronicle, is an abstract portrait of a young woman floating dreamlike in water. An open book, the chronicle from which the film’s title is derived, appears periodically throughout the film, although its meaning is left open to interpretation.

See an excerpt from the film

Program Notes:

Although there is no specific program for The Manhattan Chase, this composition is certainly dramatic and descriptive. Whereas the title may suggest a depiction of a certain financial institution (pun intended), the large-scale ideas in the piece are in fact inspired by the rhythms, sounds, and perceptions of New York. The “chase” in the title can be the daily aggregate frenzy of life in a metropolis, or perhaps a more specific and individual escapade. The organization of the work itself, a large rondo in modified A-B-A-C-B-A-coda form, is constructed around a story of personal adventure.

The exciting opening and spiky rhythms of the first section of the piece constitute the first part of the chase. As these motives are elaborated upon, the lyrical theme of the composition is hinted at and foreshadowed. This theme, though, is never fully realized until well after the tempo winds down and the strings are allowed to breathe expansively. This second section is majestic and open in feeling, and suggests a cool night in the park, where one can take a breath, step back and stand in awe of the enormity of the city.

After the initial chase material returns, a new sprightly theme is introduced in the clarinet in 6/8 time. The entire orchestra soon picks up this theme, and the theme is developed and traded amongst the different sections of the ensemble. This third, scherzo-like section is lively and less serious than the first two sections, and thus portrays the city in a lighter manner. As the composition progresses, these main themes and their motivic counterparts are increasingly sounded simultaneously, occasionally merging with one another. For instance, the broad, lyrical theme returns, albeit in a different context within the scherzo material, illustrating our ever-changing personal perceptions of the metropolis. The chase continues and builds to an animated coda.

Program Notes:

Anyone who knows me has heard me wax rhapsodic, at one time or another, about my early morning runs along Riverside Drive in Manhattan. When the New York Youth Symphony asked me to write a new piece on the theme of “New York City”, it provided me with the ideal opportunity to musically convey the bright spirit of those morning runs, as well as the anticipation and excitement about the upcoming day that I feel during them. Additionally, I often use that time to think about compositional issues, so the title is especially meaningful.

Program Notes:

Every year thousands gather at the General Grant National Memorial in Manhattan, popularly known as Grant’s Tomb, to commemorate the birthday of Civil War hero and former President Ulysses S. Grant. The monument, internationally famous, is the largest building of its kind in the Western hemisphere and unprecedented in American history. To celebrate the millennial anniversary of this observance, the concert band version of this work was premiered at the monument on April 27, 2000.

National Monument Fanfare is a brilliant, stirring composition inspired by the grandeur of the Grant monument as well as the promise of the new millennium. Its opening brass flourishes are designed to evoke the festive nature of this outdoor communal gathering. After this initial fanfare recedes, an elegant, expansive theme emerges in the strings which conveys the "tribute" in the title. This dignified yet spirited tune is introduced quietly to distinguish a contrast with the initial bombast. The composer used the letters of Grant’s name in a musical fashion to spell out the first notes of this melody. The theme steadily builds in scope and volume until it is time for the brass fanfare to excitedly reappear. The main theme is then jubilantly presented as the composition reaches a sweeping, joyous conclusion.

Program Notes:

Driven by a constant rhythmic energy, the Overture is a colorful work that couples brassy syncopation and inspiring melodic lines. The opening polytonal trumpet and trombone fanfare is continued as a rhythmic accompaniment by the horns and violas, while the violins and upper woodwinds brightly display the principal theme. After this theme is augmented and traded throughout all the orchestral sections, the Overture’s lyrical theme is quietly introduced by the cellos and bassoons. This theme eventually builds to a full, richly scored phrase featuring the strings and horns. The fanfare then reappears after which a new, syncopated "American" theme is introduced by the clarinet and echoed by the trumpet.

The three themes that form the basis for the entire Overture depict the renaissance of the modern city as a focal point for culture and artistic expression. The “city” in the title may be interpreted numerous ways, and as I wrote this piece I thought about the many aspects of the emotional appeal of music. The often indescribable pleasure and joy that music brings to the life of human beings is both an intensely personal and overtly communal experience. This appeal of music to people brings a renewed vitality to the urban landscape, and accordingly it is in this city, in our “American City” - our “city of the world” - that music is created and music flourishes.

Program Notes:

Souvenir is an original composition that is based upon melodies by Brahms. The inspiration for this idea came from conductor Jason Weinberger, who commissioned the work for its premiere performance on an otherwise all-Brahms orchestra concert in 2003.

I used melodies that were contained in two of Brahms’ intermezzos: Op. 116, No. 2, and Op. 118, No. 2. In my composition, however, I chose not to present them exactly as written -- rather, I fused them together to create a new theme. I chose the title Souvenir for the work because this combination of the themes served as a sort of memory, or souvenir, of Brahms’ melodies. And like a memory, these melodies take on a dreamlike appearance amidst my own composition.

Therefore the first movement of Souvenir contains the quotations from original pieces, but, as a memory evolves into new thoughts, so did the second movement. As if departing from a thought in a dream, my second movement does not include any explicit references to Brahms. Rather it evolves into a free interpretation of the spirits and the sound world from which I was working as I composed the piece.