freezes, flows (2013)
for orchestra
reading by the DePaul University Symphony Orchestra
program note:
freezes, flows is a reflection on the snow turning to water while walking down Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin on a sunny day winter day. At the top of the hill, the snow was pristine. Its alabaster color shone with a brilliant radiance from the beaming sunlight. As I strolled down the hill I noticed the snow by the sidewalkmelted faster in the sun. Water began dripping from the snow and became more unified in trickles slowly coursing down the gutter. The trickles became streams shimmering in the sunlight and the snow became less present. As they picked up speed from the sharp angle of the drumland, the streams began to course more intensely. Ultimately, the stream was subverted by a large bank of unmelted snow at the bottom of the hill and was no more.
This piece explores four primary characters in snow, water, the reflected sunlight twinkling, and melting. These elements are most prominently featured in their respective movements (snow in frozen, water in drips, etc.), but elements of each permeate into other movements, particularly in the final movement.