Program Notes

 1. No Escape  As anyone who has experienced a tragic event knows, there is an urge to run from the emotional pain that it has caused, all with the acute knowledge that no matter how fast you run, there is no escape.  The movement is in nearly perpetual motion, which the piano accentuates with its frequent minimalist-like arpeggios.  The unremitting flow of this music is, however, interrupted by brief piano outbursts and pensive passages.

2. Elegy  The solo trumpet, which has stood by in silence during the first movement, opens the second movement as the voice of comfort, with a poignant, consoling melody.  The piano responds with similar but anguished music, and gradually the trumpet is caught up in the sharing of that anguish.  The consoling melody returns twice more, ending the movement in a brass chorale.

3. Horn of Plenty reflects my personal philosophy that, in spite of all of its painful difficulties, life is essentially a lot of fun and eminently worth living.

I wrote this piece especially for Jens Lindemann and Jennifer Snow.  Last year, during the early stages of my working on this piece, they experienced a sudden death and severe injury on Jennifer's side of the family due to a car accident.  This tragic event inevitably entered my compositional process and became the backdrop for the piece.  I consider it an honor that they feel the work reflects their experience, and I hope that it resonates with others, as well.