Preludes and Recitations (2017)

for Wind Dectet

Duration: 11 min

Commissioned by Maryland Wind Festival

Instrumentation

2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns, 2 Bassoons

Program Note

Preludes and Recitations is a set of three character pieces for wind dectet. In the first movement, titled “Proclamation”, the ensemble performs dramatic composite gestures with an uneven flow, sometimes pausing and sometimes lurching forward. The second movement is a “Scherzo” with wicked, twisting lines incessantly traded off between the pairs of winds. The final movement, “Lament” takes its name from its downward trajectory, with slow-moving descending voice leading from the highest register of the ensemble to the lowest. The unifying feature of three preludes is a structural element of interruption: within each movement, the two oboes interject with a duet, briefly transforming the chamber music into a concerto.

Performances

7/2019 - Tyler Austin, conductor; Maryland Chamber Winds