Distill (2021)

Program Notes:

Distill is a piece whose materials are greatly inspired by past experiences and events that have shaped my artistic impulses in very broad but powerful ways. The piece takes these most common impulses and concentrates them into a single movement. However, the title does not suggest that the musical materials are being distilled over the course of the piece. The most notable impulses dealt with are those that lead me to writing sustained and melancholic music with very long and expressive lines; separating the ensemble into smaller ones to be manipulated in ways that might not be obvious otherwise; and finding ways to deal with dramatic decisions at pivotal moments.

The ensemble is split into two symmetrical groups – one which is lead by the saxophone and the other lead by the horn. The juxtaposition of the two ensembles softens as the piece continues allowing them to explore their commonalities. In a very loose sense, the piece could be viewed as a kind of “theme and variations” as lines move through new parings of instruments, pushing and pulling the music into different ways of being according to their own unique qualities and characteristics.

The majority of this piece was composed while in residency as a fellow at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in Brunswick, Maine. I offer this piece with special thanks to David Dzubay, Aaron Travers, Tansy Davies, Derek Bermel, Andrei Pinto Correia, and my generous sponsor at Bowdoin Lorna Flynn.